Unova's Love
by Lily Aura
Summary: Rosa was lucky enough to get the chance to travel with her best friend, Hugh, but soon the two grow feelings for each other. And when she meets Curtis, Rosa doesn't know what to do! To add that Team Plasma is back and worse than before doesn't help, especially when they find out who Rosa really is.
1. Prologue: 17 years ago

**Hello! This is my VERY FIRST story. YAY! I'll try to keep updates for the story, but I'm also really busy since school is starting up soon, and I can get really bad cases of writer's block. Anyway, I hope you'll read and enjoy!**

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It was a warm summer night at the Nimbasa City Fair. People were in line for the roller coasters, the new model show Elesa set up, and the Ferris Wheel. A green-haired guy was standing in front of the Ferris Wheel, waiting. People looked at him and walked faster when they passed by him.

A girl with dark brown hair, a white shirt, and denim shorts ran over to him.

The guy smiled as she came to stop next to him. "You came."

She looked weary. "You shouldn't be in Unova. Looker is still trying to hunt you down."

"He won't be able to find me."

She narrowed her eyes. "N, you are at the Nimbasa Fair, where tons of people come every day."

"Hilda, you worry too much about me."

"Can you blame me?" She tried not to raise her voice, even though she was getting mad. "Looker knows what we have! He knows about us! He's tried again and again to give up where you are!" Tears were rising in her eyes. "I don't want to lose you."

N grabbed her hand. "You won't lose me, I promise. But we need to talk."

Hilda squeezed his hand and blinked the tears back. "Ferris Wheel, I'm presuming?"

He pulled her to the bottom cart of the wheel. Once they were shut in, it began to move up slowly.

Hilda let go of his hand and moved to the other side of the cart. "Why did you want me to come here?"

N looked at the scenery. "Can't I just want to see you?"

"Really? You'd risk getting caught to see me?"

"Yes, but," he sighed. "I also need to tell you something." When she didn't respond he sighed again and said:

"I'm leaving Unova tonight. And I won't be coming back."

Hilda moved closer to him. "It-It's for the best, N."

He put his arm around her shoulder and glanced at her face. Tears were streaming down it. Pulling her closer, she cried on his shoulder.

They sat like this until N broke the silence. "I want you to come with me."

She still was lying on his shoulder. "N…."

"Don't say it. I know you can't. You've already become a Pokemon Center employee. And Zekrom is going to help you protect Unova."

When he spoke of the dragon-type legend, she sat up, with his arm still around her. "Are you taking Reshiram with you?"

"Yes. He's already told me he wasn't going to let me go by myself."

Hilda smiled. "He sounds like me, in a way."

She looked out of the cart and gasped. N moved his arm away.

"What is it?"

"Looker followed me!"

"What?" N looked out the cart too. Of course, Looker was down there, staring at the Ferris Wheel. N jumped to the back of the cart. "Did he see me?"

"Doubt it. We're almost at the-" The Ferris Wheel stopped. "Top."

Hilda sat down next to N. "Us stopping should buy us some time but you need to get out of here."

N had ideas buzzing through his head. "How can I get out of here without him knowing I was here?!"  
Hilda looked at him. "If you're leaving tonight, it doesn't matter if he knew you were here or not! If you send out Reshiram, you can fly out!" As he pulled out Reshiram's PokeBall, Hilda put her hand on top of it. "Or better yet, you can use Zekrom and he'll think it was me, and he'll be surprised when I get to the bottom."

"I'm not using Zekrom! Reshiram and I can get out of here on our own!"

"If you fly off on Reshiram, he'll inform the rest of the police in the other regions!"

"So? They won't catch me!"

"Zekrom can help you and Reshiram!"

"Hilda, no."

Hilda looked at N sadly. "I'm probably never going to see you again, N. I at least want to know you're safe with both legendary dragons protecting you…."

N stood up and the cart shook a little. "If I can ever come back, or if I ever need to come back, I'll look for you. I'll be safe. I don't need Zekrom."

She stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her back. When they separated she looked in his green eyes. "Can you do me one favor? Please?"

N smiled and gazed into her blue eyes. "Anything."

"I decided to move away from Nuvema Town. I live in the corner of Unova now in a place called Aspertia City. Can you try to get Looker off your trail and try to visit me? Only for a little bit?"

"Hilda…."

"I know it's risky, but please?"

He sighed. He wanted to see her one last time, but staying in Unova was risky. And dangerous. But Hilda wouldn't have asked if she thought he'd get caught.

He nodded and Hilda threw herself around him again.

The Ferris Wheel began to move again.

They let go of each other as N grabbed the PokeBall again. "I need to go. I'll see you soon."

"Promise?"

He put a hand on her cheek and leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. When he pulled back, he pressed his forehead on hers. "A promise sealed with a kiss."

He looked away and opened the door of the cart. He saw a few people looking up at him from below, including Looker. He gripped the PokeBall. "Reshiram! Let's get out of here!" The white dragon Pokemon popped out of the PokeBall in a flash of light. Without looking at the crowd below, he jumped on the Pokemon's back and it began to fly off.

He looked as Hilda jumped off the ride as it was decending. He saw how furious Looker was as he began to yell at her. He fought the urge to go back, but lost it the second Hilda began yelling back.

He looked forward. That's my girl, he thought as he began to fly to Aspertia City.

N had Reshiram land in the trees near the city. The trees were so tall, and the darkness helped, and Reshiram could be hidden from view.

He sat on some tree roots looking behind the tree every so often.

How will you know which house is hers?

N heard Reshiram in his head. He had this ability with all Pokemon.

"I won't, but if I'm lucky, she'll send Cinccino to find me."

And if she doesn't?

"I'll keep waiting."

Reshiram grunted. I don't see why you care for her.

N smiled. "I don't understand why, but there's something about her that I like."

She defeated you and ruined Team Plasma.

N glaced at the Vast White Pokemon. "And you liked Team Plasma's ideas? And how they tricked me? And lied to me?"

Reshiram looked annoyed. I never said I liked them. I just think that it is strange she is girl you decided to fall in love with.

N tensed at the word "love".

Reshiram noticed it. You do love her right?

N looked away. "Yes. I do love her. But it's because of loving her that it's so hard for me to leave Unova; hard for me to leave her."

The white dragon looked in the trees. I like Hilda, and not only because you love her, or that Zekrom chose her, but because she seems to love and understand her Pokemon. She'd risk her life to save them if they were in danger.

N said nothing but looked back at a few houses in the city.

Reshiram broke the silence. I sense Cinccino. She's coming.

A few second later, the chinchilla Pokemon busted past a tree. Spotting N, she ran up to him panting.

I…. Finally…. Found you…. N heard her voice in his head. Smiling, he picking her up. Hilda…. Sent me…. To get you.

"You got me."

Cinccino jumped out of his hands to his shoulder and stayed there. She told me to take you to her house.

"So you can't lead the way?"

She glared at him. I ran through most of the woods trying to find you. I am not taking another step.

N laughed. "Okay, where is her house?"

She pointed straight ahead at one of the houses. "That one."

He looked at her, with a confused look in his eyes. "You said you ran through most of the woods, yet I was in front of the house the whole time?"

Cinccino sweatdropped. Uh…. I kinda thought you'd be farther out. Never thought to check close by.

Reshiram made a loud chuckle.

She glared at him. Shut it!

N returned Reshiram to his PokeBall, and walked to the house. Once he got to the edge of the woods, he had Cinccino go have Hilda open the door. As Hilda opened the door, she looked around until she saw N under a tree. She gasped and opened the door wider. He ran inside the house.

Before shutting the door, Hilda looked outside again to see if anyone noticed him. Once the door was shut, she flung her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her. He saw Cinccino leave the room rolling her eyes and tried to hold back a laugh.

He turned his attention to the girl in his arms. "So, did Looker know I was there?"

Hilda still had her arms around his neck, but still looked up at him. "No, he thought someone stole Reshiram." She said sarcastically. "Of course he knew! He starting yelling at me about how if I keep protecting you, the police might take me in, too."

"What?" N pushed himself away from her and looked at her. "He threatened to take you in?"

Hilda rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. I just hope you weren't planning on going to Kalos."

"Why?"

"I told him that was where you were headed."

"Again, why?"

She smiled. "One: I didn't want to be arrested. Two: to get him off your trail."

N smiled back but he was still worried. "What if they realize you lied?"

She walked over to the couch in the corner of the room and sat down. "They can't prove that you weren't there. I can just say that's what you told me."

N sat down next to her. "I don't want you to get involved in this."

"N, last time I checked, I've been involved in this since we met up on the Ferris Wheel and you first told me you were the leader of-"

"Don't say it."

Hilda intertwined her fingers with his. "I won't, but I'm involved in this. I don't want you to get caught."

He leaned to her and kissed her cheek. "I won't be caught. Promise."

She looked at him and leaned forward. She kissed him. When she pulled back she whispered: "A promise sealed with a kiss."

N had stayed the night at Hilda's house, but left at dawn while she was still asleep. He hated leaving her, but if he stayed he'd just put both of them in trouble. When he left, he ran back to the woods. Once he was far enough from the city, he released Reshiram again.

Finally ready? The white dragon asked.

N hopped on his back. "Yes. Let's go."

Without saying another word, Reshiram took off into the sky. Once they were past the clouds, the dragon murmured, I see we have a new traveling companion.

N was about to ask what he meant until he saw a purple Master Ball on his belt. He took it off the belt and looked at it closely. Zekrom was staring back at him through the transparent top of the PokeBall. N placed the PokeBall back on his belt.

Reshiram kept looking forward. Turn around?

He wanted to know if he wanted to go back and give Hilda Zekrom back. "No," he murmured. "She must've put it on my belt last night when I fell asleep. Dang, she's stubborn."

He finally looked back, but all he could see behind his was the clouds.

He silently hoped he could come back to Unova someday.

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 **So, how is it? I'm a little rusty on the writing, but I hope you enjoyed it.**


	2. The Journey Begins

**Early update! I already had this one close to finished when I uploaded the first chapter so I decided to finish it this morning! The adventure has now began! Read and...**

 **Syl: Hello! I'm Syl the Sylveon!**

 **I thought we weren't going to introduce you until a few more chapters?**

 **Syl: Eh. Too bad so sad. To finish off your sentence... ENJOY!**

 **Oh brother...**

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Sixteen-year old Rosa White was running through the streets of Aspertia City, excited as could be as she ran to her best friend's house.

Rosa had brown hair and bright blue eyes. She always wore her pink and white tennis visor on her head while her hair was tied into two buns with pigtails hanging down them to her waist. She had a pink tanktop tied to a bow at the back of her neck under her sky blue and white quarter top with a pink simi-PokeBall printed on the chest. Her frilly, flared yellow shorts were on top of her black tights. On her feet were hi-top shoes that matched her shirt in color with yellow laces.

She ran to a house close by and, without even knocking, barged inside.

A woman looked up from the kitchen, startled, until she spotted Rosa. "Good morning, Rosa!" She beamed.

"Good morning!" She looked around. "Is Hugh here or has he already gone out to train?"

A little girl with a red dress and a bow to match popped up from behind her mother. She ran up and hugged Rosa's waist, which was as high as she could hug.  
Rosa smiled. "Hi, Harper! Sleep well?"

Without leaving the hug, she looked up at Rosa. "Yes I did! I even woke up before my big brother!"

"What?" She looked at the mother. "Mrs. Dawson, don't tell me Hugh is still in bed!"

Mrs. Dawson laughed and walked out of the kitchen to sit down at the table nearby. "I think this is the latest he's ever slept! He and Tepig are normally out training by now!"

Rosa glanced at the stairs. "No kidding. Normally I have to track him down. Can I….?" She nodded toward the stairs.

Mrs. Dawson smiled. "Go ahead."

Rosa looked back down at Harper. "You wanna help me wake up Hugh?"

The girl's eyes grew bright as she broke out into a huge grin and nodded her head.

The two tiptoed up the stairs as quietly as they could manage. When they reached the top, the room was still dark except the sunshine shining through the blinds. Two beds were placed on opposite sides of the room. On one side, the bed was empty, but on the other, someone was still sleeping. Rosa looked back at Harper and placed a finger to her mouth before tiptoeing to the bed.

Hugh still had his red jacket and dark blue rider pants on, but his shoes were off and on the floor. The blanket had been tossed to the end of the bed, unused. His hair was still spiked upwards as it always was. On his chest was his Tepig, who was also sound asleep.

Rosa backed away from the bed enough to whisper to Harper, who was behind her. "If we startle Tepig, he'll shoot a flame at a sleeping Hugh. It's probably best to wake up Tepig before your brother. Think you can hold Tepig?"

Harper nodded, her eyes still bright.

They inched back to the bed. Harper softly poked Tepig's stomach. He stirred but didn't wake. She poked him again. This time, the Pokemon open his eyes halfway before yawning and sitting up. Harper picked him up and held him in her arms as he opened his eyes fully.

Rosa smiled at Tepig before sitting on the bed next to Hugh's chest. She was about to stick a finger in his ear when he suddenly jumped up and tackled Rosa to the floor, pinning her down. He smiled as she looked at him with shock.

"Nice try." He murmured.

"You faker!" Rosa pushed him to the side and pinned him down. "You faked being asleep!"

"Yep!" He pushed her back to pin her back to the floor. "I knew you'd come and get me sooner or later!"

Rosa tried to push him off of her, but this time, he was using his weight against her, so she couldn't move him. She struggled to get out of his grip before going limp. "Fine. You win." She growled.

Hugh smiled. "Yay for me."

When he didn't move, she moved her hand to pinch his leg. He yelped in pain and jumped off. She got to her feet and crossed her arms. "Wow," she murmured as she began to walk back to the stairs. "To think I was going to ask you to come with me to get my first Pokemon."

She heard Hugh gasp as she walked down the stairs. She expected him to catch up with her, but when she made it to the bottom of the stairs, he still hadn't come.

Mrs. Dawson looked up from a book she was reading. "Is he awake?"

"Yes, ma'am. He is."

"Are you two going to be hanging out today?"

Before she could answer, she heard someone rushing down the stairs. When she turned back to the stairs, she caught a glimpse of Hugh's face before he ran straight into her, knocking them both to the floor with Hugh on top of her.

Her face turned red. "Hugh! Get off me!"

He scrambled off her, also red in the face. "S-sorry!"

They stared at each other sitting on the floor until Mrs. Dawson began giggling. Both teenagers turned to her as she said, "You two are so cute!"

"Mom!" Hugh exclaimed as he got to his feet.

Rosa rose to her feet as well. "Well," she began awkwardly. "I'm just gonna go now."

She rushed out the door as she heard Hugh yell, "Hey! Wait!" Once she was outside, she walked a little farther down the street before stopping and looking back at Hugh's house. Less than a minute later, Hugh was out the door and ran up to her, panting.

Rosa crossed her arms. "What was the whole 'You two are cute' thing about?"

Hugh seemed to catch his breath. "She is convinced we're going to date."

She laughed. " _Us_?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't your mom think the same?"

"True."

The two began walking down the street talking.

"So were you being serious?" Hugh asked.

"About?"

"When you walked down the stairs, it sounded like you said you were getting your first Pokemon!" He exclaimed. "Were you serious?"

Rosa smiled at him. "Lets just say you have a new battling partner."

 _Yes!_

Rosa stopped and turned around to face they way had come.

Hugh stopped a few steps ahead of her and faced her. "Hey, you okay?"

Rosa blinked a few times before catching up with her best friend. "Y-yeah. I just thought I heard someone."

He looked at her confused. "Maybe you imagined it?"

They began to walk again. "Yeah. Maybe." _But I could've sworn I heard someone._ She thought.

"So," Hugh snapped her out of her thoughts. "Who's giving you your first Pokemon?"

"Hm? Oh, a girl named Bianca is supposed to be giving me the Pokemon. But I had to agree to help her and someone named Professor Juniper."

"What did you agree to do?"

"I had to help complete a PokeDex."

Hugh stopped. "Wait," he grabbed Rosa's shoulder, making her halt. "Completing a PokeDex means that you have to leave home and travel around the region." He looked at her, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Does that mean you're leaving?"

She looked at the ground, trying not to look at his eyes. "I guess I never really thought about it. It would make sense if I had to leave. There's a limited amount of Pokemon that live around Aspertia City."

Hugh took his hand off her shoulder and stared blankly ahead. "Let's just find this Bianca," he murmured sadly. "Let's try the outlook. I bet she's there."

Rosa watched as he began to walk off down the street. She hated that she'd be leaving, and she actually _had_ thought about when the offer was given to her. Her mother even asked if she was going to leave; she had gone on a journey when she was Rosa's age, and wanted her daughter to do the same.

 _Her travels also helped her meet Dad._ Rosa thought. Rosa had never seen her dad, but her mother always talked about him. She said her dad was traveling in another region with a dragon Pokemon, but she would never say what Pokemon it was. She was also told that her dad had a way to understand what Pokemon were saying. Rosa looked more like her mother, so she didn't really have anything to go on when it came to what her father looked like.

"Rosa!"

Rosa looked up and saw that she had mindlessly walked to the outlook. Hugh was at the bottom of the stairs waiting for her.

She jogged up to him. "Sorry. Lost in thought."

Hugh didn't respond. He was obviously still upset about her leaving. She sighed and began up the stairs. Hugh walked silently behind. When they made it to the top, they looked around.

The outlook was the most beautiful sight in Aspertia City. You could see the the green trees alongside a hill that had a small lake in the middle. In the back, mountains that were partly hidden by clouds could be seen. If the sun were setting, which it was not, the orange and pink glows were dazzling.

Rosa looked in awe at the scenery. This was her favorite place in town, and she would come here everyday just to be hypnotized by the view, as she was now.

Hugh glanced at her and rolled his eyes. He also knew how entranced she became with the scenery.

She stared ahead until Hugh nudged her arm. "What?" she asked.

"I think that's Bianca." He muttered, pointing to the other side of the outlook.

Rosa turned and saw a girl leaning against the lamp post, staring out to the mountains. The girl was blonde, and wore a green beret.

Rosa walked up to the girl, while Hugh stayed back. "Excuse me?"

The girl turned around. Now Rosa could see she had red glasses on her face. "Oh! Goodie! I was about to find someone to help me!"

She grabbed Rosa's hand and began shaking it. "Nice to meet you! I'm Bianca! I'm the famous Professor Juniper's assistant!" She said quickly. She let go of Rosa's hand and pointed out to the horizon so quickly that Rosa didn't have time to speak. "I'm supposed to be looking for someone but then when I found out about outlook I just _had_ to see it! Then I ended up staring at the scenery a while until you came up…. Oh! That reminds me!" She turned back to Rosa. "Is there someone in this town named Rosa White? I'm supposed to be looking for her!"

Rosa sweatdropped. _Geez! She so excitable!_ "Well, as far as I know, I'm the only Rosa White this town has."

Bianca gasped. "Oh my goodness! I didn't see it before but you look exactly how the Professor said you looked!"

Rosa gave a small smile before looking back at Hugh with a look that said, _What do I say?_ Even though he was still upset, she at least got a small chuckle from him.

"Well," Bianca said. "Here they are!"

She took a cylinder container out of her purse. When she pressed a button, it opened up letting some mist come out. Rosa stared with bright eyes as three Poke Balls appeared from the mist. Each had a small sticker on it, being a water droplet, a leaf, and a flame. The top of the balls were transparent, meaning you could see the Pokemon in it.

She looked at the ball with the water droplet. Inside was a Oshawott. It glanced up at her, blinked for a few seconds, then smiled brightly at her.

In the flame sticker ball, a Tepig that looked like it might've been jumping up and down in it's Poke Ball. When it noticed it was being looked at, it reared up on it's hind legs, as if it was trying to appear as strong as a Zebstrika.

In the Poke Ball with the leaf, a Snivy was just standing. It looked up at Rosa and narrowed it's eyes, as if examining her. Then, it crossed it's arms but it never looked away; it just kept all eyes on Rosa.

She sighed and looked up at the sky. If she had an Oshawott, then battling Hugh would be a breeze. Plus, it had the same personality as her. Having a Tepig would be fun, and it seemed eager to battle. But that Snivy….

"Well?" Bianca asked, snapping Rosa out of her thought. "Which one is going to be your first Pokemon?"

She glanced back at the Pokemon, who were all staring back at her. Two looked eager to know who'd be chosen, but one looked like it couldn't care less who was picked.

Smiling, she pointed at a Poke Ball and said: "That one."

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 **Syl: Really?**

 **What?**

 **Syl: You ended it like that?**

 **Yeah, so what?**

 **Syl: You can't write endings.**

 **Whatever. Anyway, updates to come, but I don't think it'll be tomorrow unless I feel like writing all day.**


	3. First Battle and First Encounter

**(Walks in and falls on sofa)**

 **Syl: Gee, you that tired?**

 **YES! I HAVE MARCHING BAND, CHEER, AND VOLLEYBALL ALL WEEK!**

 **Syl: And bad luck all week.**

 **Yes... Which includes why I had to _rewrite_ this whole chapter since I forgot to save it.**

 **Syl: (Sweatdrops) Eh... Well, readers, read and enjoy!**

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Hugh was staring at Tepig's Poke Ball. The Pokemon stared back at him with a worried look. Hugh couldn't stop thinking about how Rosa would have to leave. Even though he knew she had to in order to complete the PokeDex, he still didn't want her to go.

Hugh began to think about the promise they made when they were eight.

 _Hugh: Rosa?_

 _Rosa: Yeah?_

 _Hugh: When we're all grown up, are we still going to be friends?_

 _Rosa: Of course!_

 _Hugh: What if one of us has to go away?_

 _Rosa: Then we'll follow each other! We're always going to be best friends together! We'll help each other and never leave each other!_

 _Hugh: Always?_

 _Rosa: (Hugs Hugh) Always!_

Hugh smiled at the memory. _Always,_ he thought. _Too bad that promise is going down the drain._

He heard someone exclaim something and looked up to see Bianca looking worried as Rosa picked up a Poke Ball and peel a sticker he couldn't see off it. He saw Rosa smile as she handed the sticker to Bianca. He barely heard her when she said, "I can handle him!" Bianca sighed and smiled again as she pulled out and handed a small, red device to Rosa. A PokeDex, Hugh presumed. Rosa ran back to him, her eyes gleaming with the Poke Ball in her hand.

Before he could ask who she chose, she threw the Poke Ball into the air. In a flash of light, a Snivy appeared and landed in front of her. Hugh was surprised that she chose a Grass-type since he had a Fire-type.

"Well?" she asked. "What do you think?"

Hugh gave a small smile, unable to think of the Pokemon as anything except that he'd be one of the reasons Rosa was leaving. But he still said, "Great." anyway.

He turned to walk away, but he felt a tug on his jacket. He looked behind his shoulder and saw Rosa gripping the back of his jacket. She had an eyebrow raised. "Are you really about to walk away without even letting me challenge you?"

He looked at her, waiting for her to say she was joking, but when she didn't, he turned around and gave a small laugh. "I've been training for _months_ when it comes to Pokemon, and you're challenging me when you haven't even had your Snivy for five minutes?"

She glared at him, but there was no anger in her eyes. Only determination. "Sounds like someone's a chicken." She taunted.

Hugh rolled his eyes. "Okay, really?"

"Fine, if you aren't a chicken, then what are you? A Quilfish?"

Hugh tensed. He could be called a chicken anything else people could dish out at him, but when he was called a _Quilfish?_ That pissed him off; and Rosa _knew_ that.

"Fine then," he growled as he released Tepig. "You're on."

Rosa looked back at Snivy. "Ready?"

Snivy nodded and jumped in front of her.

Both stood silent until both yelled in unison, "Tackle!"

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Hugh growled as he began walking through the tall grass. He was still annoyed that Rosa beat him when she'd never battled a day in her life before. In fact he got so mad he left town and when he looked up, he ended up in Floccesy Ranch, so he decided to do a bit of training with Tepig, looked ashamed for losing.

Hugh squatted down and pet his head. "It's alright, buddy. They just got beginner's luck."

Stilling looking upset, Tepig's ears drooped and his tail was low. Hugh sighed and stood back up. He'd been training for hours and the sun would be setting soon.

"Sni!"

"Rio!"

He turned around and saw two Pokemon fighting in the tall grass a ways away. He walked a little closer and saw Rosa and Snivy battling a tired Riolu.

Before he could say a word to her, Rosa lifted up a Poke Ball and threw it at the Riolu. Hitting it in the head, the ball trapped Riolu inside it, then fell to the ground where Riolu had once been. It shook a few times while Rosa and Snivy watched. Suddenly, the ball gave a small _Click!_ and stopped shaking. He watched as Rosa's mouth formed into a big smile as she ran forward and grabbed the Poke Ball.

"Yes! Welcome to the team, Riolu!"

"Sni!" Snivy crossed it's arms while breathing hard. It was obviously tired from the battle.

Rosa rolled her eyes playfully before sitting down next to Snivy on the grass. "I know, I know. You _did_ do a good job!" She held an Oran Berry to him, and Snivy took it, happy he got his reward.

Hugh cleared his throat as he walked straight up to her.

She looked up at him, surprised. "Hugh!"

He smiled. "Good catch. That Riolu looked strong."

Smiling back, Rosa stood back up and held out Riolu's ball. In a flash of light, it appeared and jumped into her arms. "He's a cutie!"

Hugh pretended to look at Riolu, but ended up staring at Rosa's smiling face, wishing she had been talking about him.

 _Wait, what?_ he shook his head, trying to erase that thought. _I did not just say that. I did not._

"Hugh, are you okay?"

Rosa was looking at him, worried.

"H-huh? Y-yeah! I'm okay!"

Before she could question him again, they both heard a loud bark. They turned around and saw a man, a woman, and a Herdier walking up to them.

"Excuse me?" the man said. "Have you two seen a Herdier around here? Besides this one?"

The two shook their head and the woman sighed. "Oh, where could he be?"

Rosa set Riolu on the ground. "Is there something going on, ma'am?"

The woman looked at Rosa. "You see, my husband and I own this ranch. We don't have any children, but we've always had two Herdier as pets. Earlier today, one of our Herdier didn't come back, and we began to worry. He's been gone for _hours!_ "

The husband shrugged. "I bet he's just off playing or messing with the Mareep, but she's worried he got in some sort of trouble. I wouldn't have been surprised if he was home by supper!"

Before Rosa could respond, Hugh yelled, "You act like you don't even care!"

The man look surprised. "Kid, I love my Herdier but I'm only worried a bit because he's always back by suppertime!"

Hugh was enraged. "You're only a _little_ worried?! Did you even _consider_ that he may be in trouble?! That he may _never come home?!_ "

The ranch owner was at a loss for words.

Hugh turned around and stormed off farther into the woods, Tepig following him. He had come to a halt in the back of the ranch, where the trees thickened out. He stopped beside a tree and yelled at the top of his lungs to let some steam out. He heard someone walk up behind him, but he didn't turn around until a hand was on his shoulder. He glanced behind him and and saw Rosa. She looked out of breath but worried.

He shrugged her hand away and looked to the front again. "Not now."

"Hugh, what happened? It's not like you to go off on someone then storm away." She thought for a moment. "Well, it is like you, but you don't do it without a reason."

He grunted in response. He _did_ have a reason to get mad, but she didn't know it. In fact, it was probably the only thing he hadn't told her.

Suddenly, Rosa's Snivy, who had been standing at her side, gasped and pulled at Rosa's arm with a Vine Whip, crying out and pointing farther into the woods.

"Really? He is?" Rosa asked.

Hugh finally turned around and looked at her. "Is what?"

Rosa didn't pay attention to him. She nodded to the Grass-type, then as he jumped on her shoulder, took off running the way Snivy had directed.

"H-hey! Where are you going?!" Hugh ran after her, returning Tepig to his Poke Ball.

The two were running farther into the thicket. Hugh began to slow down while Rosa kept sprinting full speed until Hugh lost sight of her. He slowed down until he eventually stopped. He looked back the way he came, thinking of going back. He sighed and took a step back the way they came.

Until he heard a scream. _Rosa's_ scream. He took off toward the sound as he heard her yell, "Hugh!"

He eventually busted out of the trees into a small clearing. His eyes widened when he saw a man in a black and white uniform. Rosa was a few feet away from the mysterious man, shaking in fear. Snivy was in front of her, protecting her but was also obviously frightened. A Herdier was cowering next to a tree behind the man. Looking closely, he saw a bleeding gash on the Pokemon's shoulder blade and realized that the man was holding a whip.

"You can't be serious!" The man yelled at Rosa. "You've never heard of us? The uniform I wear doesn't remind you of something?!"

Rosa slowly shook her head.

The man smirked. "Well then, how about I give you a reminder so you'll remember in the future." He raised his whip. "We... Are Team Plasma!"

Hugh dashed toward Rosa and tackled her, making them fall to the ground out of the way. The whip had deeply scratched the dirt where Rosa had once been standing.

The man growled as he shot a glare to Hugh, who, along with Rosa, was kneeling down.

"You okay?" Rosa whispered to him.

"Yeah." He was surprised how strong her voice was now since she had been shaking in her shoes a few moments earlier. He tried to get to his feet, but winced as pain shot through through his ankle. "Make that a no," he murmured though clinched teeth as he knelt back down.

"You _dare_ interfere?!" The two looked up to see the man over him. "You dare get in the way of _Team Plasma?!_ " He raised his whip again. "I'll show you what happens to meddlers like you two!"

Hugh closed his eyes and turned his face away, preparing to feel the pain of the whip, but after a few moments, the whip never came. He glanced up and gasped as he saw the man was still in the position he had been in as he raised the whip. The man's eyes moved around like he was frozen.

"Good job, Riolu!" Rosa had gotten to her feet as Riolu jumped out from behind the man, smiling a wide smile.

"W-what?" Hugh stammered.

Rosa smiled at him. "Riolu is a Fighting-type who can learn Force Palm. I had to pretend to be scared and helpless so he wouldn't think I was planning something. Then, while his back was turned, Riolu hit him hard _with_ Force Palm, which ended up paralyzing him." She patted Riolu's head when he walked up to her side. "Good job!"

Hugh was speechless. He had thought the scream from her had been real, but she only _faked_ it to sound convincing. She _pretended_ she wasn't able to do anything while she had a full-proof plan up her sleeve.

Hugh felt something lick his ankle. He glanced at Herdier, who limped over to check on his heroes. Rosa noticed him and pulled out a bandage. She tied the bandage around Herdier's shoulder blade.

Then she sat down where Hugh was. She leaned forward and touched his ankle, which caused him to wince. She pulled back and whispered, "No clue on how you're going to walk on that."

Hugh scoffed. "It doesn't even bother me! I could walk a mile on- _Ouch!_ " He winced again. He glared at Rosa, who had touched his ankle again just to make a point on how bad it was.

She sighed. "This is gonna hurt, but if you ever plan on making it back to Aspertia, you're going to have to stand up and let me help you." He was about to argue when she said, "Do it for me? Please?"

He didn't argue, but as he tried to get up, he could feel his leg throbbing. He cringed as he finally got to his feet. Rosa pulled his arm over her shoulder to give him support, and resulted in Hugh's face turning a little pink.

"Come on, let's get home," she murmured.

"What about him?" Hugh nodded to the Plasma Grunt.

Rosa glared at the paralyzed man. "Leave him. The effect should wear off in a few hours."

Hugh smiled as he, Rosa, Herdier, Snivy, and Riolu all began to slowly walk, or limp in Herdier and Hugh's case, back to the front of the ranch.

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 **So, I guess there's some Rosa and Hugh moments in this chapter.**

 **Syl: Yep.**

 **And, readers, please review my story so I know what you think of it!**

 **Syl: Hey, sorry, but you're late for volleyball practice.**

 **Crap! (runs out)**


	4. Sneaking Out

**ANNOUNCEMENT!**

 **Syl: (gasps) You finally got a boyfriend! Who is-**

 **No! I didn't get a boyfriend!**

 **Syl: (smirks) Yet...**

 **Oh boy... Anyway, updates might take longer than normal. I didn't really start writing this until yesterday. So just please be patient!**

 **Syl: Hey, Linz?**

 **Yeah?**

 **Syl: Who is the guy with hearts around his name in your contacts?**

 **GET OFF MY PHONE!**

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Hugh laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. His bed was right next to the window. He glanced at his sister across the room. She was sound asleep on her bed, covered in dark purple blankets, while snuggling a Purrloin doll.

He sighed and glanced at the clock on the wall next to him. It was a little after midnight. _Well,_ he thought as he scrambled off the bed quietly and stood up. _I guess I'm not sleeping tonight._ He slowly walked over to his Xtransceiver on Harper's side of the room. He grabbed it, the returned to his bed. Instead of lying down, he pressed his back against the wall and sat down. Turning it on, he scrolled through his contacts until Rosa's name showed up. He stared at it sadly.

Two days ago, she had received a Pokemon and a PokeDex; yesterday, she had defeated the city's Gym Leader in a battle, earning her first badge; and once the sun rose, she'd be leaving for Virbank City.

He clicked on her contact and began typing a message.

 _Hugh: Hey you up?_

It didn't take long for a response.

 _Rosa: Yeah. Too much excitement. Can't sleep._

He smiled at how she always tried to use correct punctuation when messaging someone.

 _Hugh: Same. Snivy feeling the same?_

 _Rosa: No way! Snivy took over the bed and Vine Whipped me on the floor before falling asleep!_

He laughed before remembering Harper was still sleeping.

 _Hugh: Still can't believe you're actually leaving..._

 _Rosa: Me either..._

As he was about to respond she sent another message.

 _Rosa: Is that why you can't sleep?_

 _Hugh: What?_

 _Rosa: Can you not sleep because you keep thinking about me leaving._

Hugh was amazed. She always knew what was bothering him, even when they couldn't even see each other's face.

 _Hugh: Your good. Yea, that's why I can't sleep._

 _Rosa: You're_

 _Hugh: Huh?_

 _Rosa: It's 'You're good' not 'Your good.'_

Hugh rolled his eyes.

 _Hugh: Okay whatever._

 _Rosa: Hugh...?_

 _Hugh: Yes?_

 _Rosa: I don't want to leave :'(_

 _Hugh: I don't want you to leave either..._

 _Rosa: And you're sure you're mom won't change her mind...?_

The two had tried to convince his mom to let him travel with Rosa, but she wouldn't allow it. She said that Hugh wasn't "mature enough" to leave home yet. Plus, with his ankle still healing from the incident at the ranch, which Mrs. Dawson also knew about, she wasn't about to let her son go into danger.

 _Hugh: Don't think so. Doubt I'd get anywhere on my own anyway. Leg still hurts._

 _Rosa: I'm still worried about what happened._

 _Hugh: Who did that guy say he was again?_

Hugh had barely heard the guy yell, and he didn't hear enough to tell who he was.

 _Rosa: He said something like Plasma. I think he said Team Plasma._

Hugh's heart skipped a beat and he tightened his hand into a fist. He knew who Team Plasma was, but that wasn't a good thing.

 _Hugh: Team Plasma?!_

 _Rosa: Yes? Who are they? When I told my mom, she gasped and locked herself in her room._

 _Hugh: Team Plasma is a group of people who stole Pokemon from other people._

 _Rosa: WHAT?! WHY?!_

 _Hugh: To 'liberate' Pokemon from people or something like that._

 _Rosa: How come I never heard about them until now?!_

 _Hugh: They disbanded around 17 years ago. Before we were born. But some still come and steal Pokemon._

 _Rosa: That's terrible..._

 _Hugh: Let's not talk about that. What about what happens in the morning?_

He was that desperate to change the subject.

 _Rosa: I told my mom I'd leave before she woke up so she wouldn't cry. She hates crying in front of me. She only cried in front of my dad._

 _Hugh: Can I at least see you before you leave?_

 _Rosa: I'd rather you go with me._

 _Hugh: Same. But my mom won't let me._

A few minutes passed.

 _Rosa: How much do you want to go with me?_

 _Hugh: More than you know._

 _Rosa: Look outside._

Hugh double checked what she said before shifting positions to look out the window. He saw the city's bright lights and, on the street, Rosa was smiling and waving at him. He stared in shock before typing on his Xtransceiver again.

 _Hugh: What are you doing?_

 _Rosa: Sneaking you out. I'm gonna need you on my travels._

He looked back at her on the street. He really was tempted to sneak out, but his mom would murder him if he did!

 _But what if Rosa gets into trouble? Danger even?_ The though shot through him like lightning.

He shook his head before bouncing off the bed and grabbing Tepig's Poke Ball. He had made up his mind. He grabbed his Xtransceiver again.

 _Hugh: How am I getting out?_

 _Rosa: You'll do it? YAY! Snivy's Vine Whip could pull you down._

 _Hugh: Safely?_

 _Rosa: Eh... Yes?_

Hugh opened his window wide open. Jumping would've been suicide.

"Big brother?"

Hugh gasped softly and turned around. Harper was out of bed, hugging her Purrloin doll and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Where are you going?"

He didn't say anything.

She yawned. "Are you going with Rosa?"

He was surprised by the question, but he wasn't going to lie to his little sibling. "Yes, Harper. I am."

She walked over and sat on the bed with Hugh. "Why?"

"Rosa might need me."

"But won't Mamma..."

"Mamma's going to be mad at me for doing this."

She stared at him. "Then why do it?"

He wrapped his arms around his little sister. "I need to, even if I'm breaking the rules."

She hugged him back. "I won't tell Mamma if you promise me something."

He pulled back and held her shoulders. "Yes?"

She held out her doll. "Promise to find her."

Hugh was speechless. "W-what?"

She hugged her doll again. "You know what I'm talking about. Can you promise to find her? Please?"

Hugh just stared at his sister before nodding his head. "I promise."

Harper jumped off the bed and ran to her own. She pulled the covers over her and turned to face away from Hugh.

Hugh looked back at the window. Snivy's vine was floating outside, waiting for him to grab it so he could get to the street.

He reached out for it, but before his hand touched the vine, he heard a soft whisper. "I love you."

He smiled and whispered back to his sister without facing her. "I love you, too."

He grabbed the vine and felt it wrap around his wrist before Snivy pulled him out the window and yank him to the ground. Hugh though he was about to hit the ground but a second vine had wrapped around his uninjured ankle, slowing him down until he halted upside-down in front of Rosa. She was laughing softly so the neighbors wouldn't hear them.

Hugh glared at Snivy, who stood beside her. "What that necessary?" he hissed.

Snivy smirked and released the vines from their grip, which caused Hugh to fall to the ground.

Rosa covered her mouth to stop from laughing, but still handed Hugh her other hand to help him up.

He accepted her hand and got to his feet.

"Ready?" She whispered to him?

"Ready." He answered as Snivy jumped into Rosa's purse.

They smiled as Snivy closed his eyes and fell asleep. Still hand-in-hand, the two ran to the town's gate that would lead them to Route 1 and the cities beyond.

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 **So here it is! Not my best work, but it'll do!**

 **Syl: You never answered my question. Who is he?**

 **None of your business.**

 **Syl: I'm gonna call him! (Hits call button)**

 **NOOOO!**

 **Syl: Hello? Are you Linz's boyfriend? (runs off with phone)**

 **SYL! GET BACK HERE! HANG UP! HANG UP!**


	5. An Alder Meeting

**Syl: (watching a video and laughing)**

 **(mumbles) It wasn't _that_ funny...**

 **Syl: You're volleyball speech was hilarious!**

 **Hey, I didn't even know I was making that speech to the entire school _until_ three minutes before I actually had to _do it!_**

 **Syl: (mocking) 'I, uh, don't exactly... Uh, Go team?' (laughs harder)**

 **Okay, whatever. Anyways, I know it's been a while since I've updated. This is how long it'll take me for a while. Sorry, but the "Master Writer" has a personal life too!**

 **Syl: I can see it now: "'Master Writer" screws up speech.'**

 **(Grabs scissors) You're about to lose your ribbons.**

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Rosa and Hugh were just leaving Route 1. Rosa had convinced Hugh that Tepig wasn't going to be enough for the journey and that he needed at least one more Pokemon. It didn't take long for them to find one to capture, so everything ended up okay.

Hugh was staring at his new Pokemon's Ball. "Great to have you on the team," he whispered.

Rosa was staring ahead, Snivy asleep in her purse. "We should be close to Floccesy Town. We should hurry though. Even though it's an hour _run,_ your mom could still catch you when she finds out you're gone."

Hugh, putting the Poke Ball back on his belt, looked around. Most of the land around them was grass, except the dirt path they were on. The moonlight was shining down, making the whole area look like it was sparkling. "When do you think we'll be far enough?"

"Probably around Virbank City. Plus, there's a gym there, so I can go ahead and get my next badge." Rosa had made it her personal goal to collect as many of the eight gym badges she could while helping with the PokeDex.

Hugh smiled at her goal. He was about to state that gyms were harder that she probably realized, but a loud sound came from above.

A huge Braviary landed in front of Rosa. She gasped as Hugh jumped in front of her to protect her. She turned as a Volcarona was behind them. She turned to it, becoming back-to-back with Hugh. Snivy had woken up by now, and looked worried.

She whispered to Snivy. "You think you can take them?"

Snivy looked at Volcarona before looking back at her and shaking his head. _Are you nuts?! I can't fight that without taking the first hit and taking huge damage._

Rosa cursed under her breath. She closed her eyes and began to think. Braviary was blocking the front, a Volcarona was in the back, and a huge cliff side was on their right, so that meant...

She softly gasped. _Our left!_ She casually glanced that way, seeing that it lead to trees. It'd be hard to get though all the thicket in the dark, but it would still hide them.

She felt Hugh's arm move, taking his hand to his belt to grab a Poke Ball. Instantly, she grabbed his hand with her own. She felt his tense up at her touch. _What's wrong with him? Did I scare him?_

Their foes began to creep closer. She squeezed his hand once before running to the trees, pulling Hugh with her. But as soon as they got a few yards, a Bouffalant stepped out of the undergrowth, blocking their escape route. Rosa skidded to a halt in front of it, while Hugh was behind her looking around like she had before. The Bouffalant began to walk forward, pushing the two trainers back until they hit the cliff side. All three Pokemon were closing in. Hugh tried to cover Rosa by putting her behind him. They closed their eyes, preparing for an attack.

A laugh sounded from above them. Rosa gasped and raised her head. An older man with red and orange hair was sitting on the top of the cliff. He was looking down at her and flashed a toothy smile.

He jumped down the cliff. Rosa looked surprised. "Sir!" Jumping might lead to serious injury, especially for a man his age.

But to her surprise, the man landed soundlessly on the ground in front of them. He waved a hand in the air, but he wasn't waving at the duo. Rosa noticed the three Pokemon who had attacked them began backing up to give the man room.

"So," he began as he looked at the trainers. "Doesn't you think it's a little late to be out of town?" He looked them over. "Though, I don't think I've seen you in _this_ town before."

"N-no, sir. We aren't from here." She tried to keep her voice steady but she was still sort of confused from all of the events.

The man narrowed his eyes when he saw the two holding hands. "What would you two be doing at this time of night, and obviously so far from home?"

Rosa and Hugh glanced at their interlocked hands before blushing and letting go.

Rosa looked back at the man. "I'm on a journey to challenge all the gyms and to complete the PokeDex." She continued as the man raised his eyebrows. "We've just started our travels."

The man glanced at the Snivy in Rosa's purse. He looked prepared to attack, but also curious at the same time. The man smiled again and looked at Rosa. "I'm sorry if I frightened you all."

The two trainer sweatdropped. "Uh, it's okay... Sir?" Hugh said.

"My name is Alder. I live in Floccesy Town. The town entrance is close by." He took out three Ultra Balls and returned the Braviary, Bouffalant, and Volcarona to them. As he turned, he said: "Please, follow me."

Hugh hesitated, but Rosa walked in the direction Alder was going as if she already knew she could trust him. Quickly, Hugh jogged until he caught up with the two.

They had all walked into town, past the Pokemon Center and past the old clock tower the place was famous for, until they stopped at a house with a battlefield in the front yard.

Alder raised his hand to the house. "Well, home sweet home!"

The house looked mostly like all the other houses on the outside, but once they entered, Rosa could tell, that Alder had his own sense of style. The inside had a traditional look to it, with many different things in many areas. Stairs in the corner of the room led upstairs to another room.

"Wow," she whispered.

Alder laughed. "Not many houses look like this, huh?" He looked back at her. "By the way, would you mind telling me who you are?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed when she realized she hadn't introduced themselves. "I'm Rosa! Rosa White!" She gestured to Hugh with a hand. "And this is my best friend, Hugh!"

" _Best friends_ , you say? That's all?" He snickered.

The two looked at him, confused. "Excuse me?" Hugh asked.

Alder pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "Oh, nothing. Now," he looked at Rosa. "Did you say Rosa _White?_ Any relation to-"

"Hilda White? Yes, sir. That's my mom."

Alder smiled. "A Champion's daughter. Then you know who I am?"

Rosa smiled back. "Yes, sir. You were the Champion before my mom."

Before he could reply back, Hugh appeared next to him. "Sir?"

"Yes?"

Hugh grabbed a Poke Ball from his belt and enlarged it. "I challenge you!"

"Hugh-" Rosa began, but he cut her off.

"Rosa, don't. I need to get stronger, and battling a former Champ," he released his newly caught Pidove. "Will make me one of the strongest."

Alder eyed him. "You sure you don't want to listen to her?"

Rosa glanced back at Hugh when he didn't say anything. She noticed determination his his eyes, but something else was mixed in with that. _Is that... Anger?_ But the though left as quick as it came when Alder enlarged an Ultra Ball and released a Conkeldurr. Before any words could be said, Conkeldurr swung one of it's concrete pillars at Pidove, hitting it to the floor, knocking it out.

Hugh growled as he returned Pidove to a Poke Ball. "It's not over yet! I have to get stronger! To keep my promise to Harper!"

"STOP!"

Hugh was about to grab Tepig's Poke Ball when Rosa yelled. He looked at her. She had her hands in fists that hung by her sides. She was angry at Hugh. He had sent his Pokemon out into a battle that he should've known he'd lose! He should've quit when Pidove went down, if not before, but instead he was going to let Tepig fight!

She looked at Alder. "Return your Pokemon back to it's Ball!" Hugh was about to exclaim that he could still fight when she turned and snapped at him. "This battle is _over_! Do _not_ try to argue with me!"

Alder must've known not to argue either since he returned Conkeldurr. He walked up to Hugh and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Look, she's right. I won't fight you again while you aren't at my experience, but I am willing to train you. Why don't you two stay the night? I have two beds upstairs."

Before they even agreed, Rosa whipped to the stairs and went upstairs. She was too annoyed at Hugh. She plopped down into a bed without changing. She began to doze off when she heard Hugh come upstairs and get in bed. Hearing him snore softly, she remembered what he yelled before she had stopped the battle.

Leaving her with a single thought.

 _What was his promise to Harper?_

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 **Syl:(walks out of closet with scissors held by a ribbon) Okay, so Linz thought she could overpower me. She won't be around for the ending credits. Anyway, review while I keep watching Linz's volleyball speech.**


	6. Pledge Grove Wonder

**-coughing-**

 **Syl: Still sick?**

 **Yeah. That's the reason I was able to write all day yesterday.**

 **Syl: Geez, let me get the medicine.**

 **NO! I DO NOT NEED THAT MEDICINE!**

 **Syl: I know it tastes gross, but it'll help you get better.**

 **NOOOOO! -runs out of room in a coughing fit-**

 **Syl: Great... Read and enjoy! -runs after-**

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Rosa stood outside of Alder's house in the warm, dark night. The moon was full and hung at the very peak of the sky.

"Where is that idiot?" she growled, annoyed. She and Hugh had argued the whole day during Alder's training. They were supposed to be asleep to rest up for the journey ahead to Virbank City, but when she turned, she noticed Hugh had left. He hadn't been in the house, so he was somewhere outside. "Lillipup! Any luck?"

The small, light brown Pokemon was a few feet away, sniffing the ground. Without looking up she said, _Not yet. I think-_ She stopped mid-sentence and stuck her tail straight in the air. _Gotcha!_

She began running to the side of the house. Chasing after her, Rosa hurried to follow her. Despite her size, Lillipup was fast, meaning she had already turned the corner when Rosa began running. Once Rosa was at the side of the house, she realized she was alone.

"Uh, Lillipup?"

 _In here!_ Before she could respond, Lillipup's head busted through a large bush. _I found him!"_

The bush was as tall as she was, so Rosa hesitantly stuck a hand through it. To her surprise, it slid through easily. She pushed all the way though the greenery and saw a small worn path. Lillipup was beside her, wagging her tail, easing Rosa's uncertainty.

They followed the path until they were led to a moonlit grassy plain surrounded by trees. I small breeze blew, making the grass and leaves sway a small bit. Near the edge of the area, at the end opposite of where Rosa was standing, was a giant rock. It look centuries old, and had a eerie feeling to it. To add to the strange feeling, three large gashes were made on the rock, making some sort of star.

And sitting in front of the rock was Hugh.

Rosa took a few steps toward him, but stopped behind when she was behind him. Should she really bother him? He'd have a reason to come out here this late, right? Would he still be mad about their day of arguing? When she thought about the day of fighting, anger grew inside her.

As she considered turning to leave, he whispered, "You should be asleep."

The anger vanished as quick as it came. "I could say the same to you." She moved to sit next to him and stared at the boulder.

He looked at her. "So why are you out here? Looking for me?"

Even though he was joking, she murmured, "Yeah."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah. I just saw that you left so I followed you out here." She looked back at him. "So why are _you_ out here?"

He looked back at the rock. "You know, couldn't sleep."

She knew him better than that. "Tell me."

"I just did. I can't sleep."

"Thinking?"

"That obvious?"

"No comment. What were you thinking about?"

He smiled sadly. "My mom; my sister; this journey; you; just that kind of stuff."

Her heart skipped a beat when he said he was thinking about her. "Okay, what about you're mom and sister?"

"I feel like I just ditched her and left. I didn't even say bye. The only person that saw me leave was Harper."

" _Harper saw you?!"_

"Well, yeah. When I was sneaking out, she woke up. I explained to her what I was doing, and she promised not to tell as long as I brought a certain, um, Pokemon back home."

She was about to ask more, but decided against it when she saw the pained look in his eyes. It was a story that he wasn't ready to share with her just yet.

But there was something else bothering her. "Hugh?"

"Yeah?"

She looked at the boulder, not wanting to look at him. "It's not too late for you to go back home, you know."

"What?!" he exclaimed, surprised by her comment.

Rosa's eyes felt like they could tear up. "You said that you felt like you just left your family, all just to come on a journey with me. We're only in Floccesy, and Aspertia is only day's walk, so you could go home if you wanted."

He glanced at her, trying to read her face, but she was still avoiding his gaze. "Do you want me to leave?"

"N-no! Of course not!"

"Then why are bring all this up?"

Rosa looked into his eyes. "Hugh, why did you come with me?"

Hugh just stared at her for a moment before responding. "I couldn't just let you leave; I would've been too worried about you. I wouldn't be able to..." He trailed off.

Rosa's heart was beating fast. "Wouldn't be able to...?"

Hugh gulped, his cheeks turning a shade of pink, and looked up at the sky. "I wouldn't able to, well, protect you."

She was surprised, but she wanted to know more. "Protect me from what?"

Keeping his head facing the sky, his eyes moved to glance at her. "Anything, really. If anyone tried to hurt you, they'd have to go through me first."

She rolled her eyes and smiled as she got to her feet. He followed her lead and stood too, but he was almost knocked back down by Rosa's hug.

"Thank you, Hugh."

He wrapped his arms around her. "No problem."

They stood there for a moment, embracing each other, until a small glow caught their attention. Turning to the light, they saw each gash on the boulder was glowing brightly, and each one was giving off a different colored light. One was an aqua blue, while another was a bright green. The last one was dim, like a light bulb that flicked right before going out, but it's color was bold orange.

Hugh was saying something, but Rosa couldn't hear it over the wind that had quickly picked up. The lights grew brighter and brighter until the blue and green gashes faded out, leaving the dull orange left. She gasped as two dark silhouettes appeared on top of the boulder. She couldn't make out what they were, but before she could get a better look, they jumped off the rock and ran right past the two trainers. The wind died down and the last light faded on the rock.

Hugh was holding Rosa tightly though the whole thing and let go to stare at the path the creatures had ran off to. "Were those _Pokemon?"_

Rosa had her own questions as she stared at the rock. "What is this place?" she whispered quiet enough for Hugh not to hear.

 _Pledge Grove..._

A low, cold voice was heard in her head, surprising her, but she didn't show it.

"And this boulder?"

 _Pledge Rock..._

A sweet voice, different from the first, answered this time.

"And what just happened?"

 _..._

She waited for a response, but nothing ever came. Whoever answered before wasn't there now.

She was lost in thought until Hugh's hand grabbed hers. She glanced at their hands before looking up at him. "Hugh?"

He began walking back to the path, taking Rosa along with him. "I think we need to go. Now." His voice was more uncertain than demanding.

When they reached the path, Lillipup, who had been waiting, walked alongside them.

When they passed through the bush, Rosa tugged on Hugh's hand, stopping him in his tracks. "I don't think we should tell Alder about this." Alder might get mad knowing they snuck out, and might try to send them back home.

Hugh nodded before leading her to the front of the house. They quietly opened the door and tiptoed into the bedroom. When they each got into their bed, and Lillipup was returned to her Poke Ball, they tried to fall asleep, but all they could think about was what happened in the grove... and each other.

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 **Syl: Linz won't be here for the closing. I had my sister, Sunshine (Espeon), hold her still while I had her take the medicine, and had my other sister, Syntha (Leafeon), use GrassWhistle to get her to rest. Anyways, the next chapters may take some time to finish. I don't think she's started the next chapter for this OR "Crossed Hearts XOXO" so it could be a while. So while you're waiting, review!**


	7. A New Star

**Holy crap! I can't believe how many views this story has gotten! I'm so happy!**

 **Syl: For all you know, four hundred might not be much on this website.**

 **Thanks, Syl. You just ruined that for me.**

 **Syl: Welcome! -looks to readers- Read and enjoy!**

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Rosa and Hugh walked out of Virbank Gym while Rosa held her new gym badge in her hand.

This morning, Alder's Bravairy had flown them to Virbank City so they wouldn't waste their time walking. The two wasted no time to start Rosa's training for her expected gym battle. It was a cool night now, and the streetlamps were the only thing glowing bright enough to light their way.

"I think you're the only person I know that can train for less than twenty-four hours and _still_ take down a Gym Leader." Hugh commented. He had been impressed with his friend's skills.

"Roxie wasn't that hard. Not when Servine and I caught tons of Pokemon at the complex!"

It was true. Rosa had a full team of pokemon from the complex. She had captured a Magby, Elekid, Magnemite, and Pidove. Along with Servine and Riolu, she had a strong team ready for anything.

"I was wasn't _WHAT?!"_ Roxie appeared behind them, fuming at Rosa's words. "You're just itchin' for a fight, aren't ya? Then, come at me! Let's battle!"

Hugh moved behind Rosa, hoping to not get in the crossfire. He didn't think Rosa would need his help.

Holding her hands up innocently, Rosa sweatdropped. "Aren't your Pokemon hurt from the battle before?"

Roxie held out a fist, determined. "Who gives a crap?! They still got some fight in..." She trailed off seeing Rosa's face. It had clouded over at her words.

She looked up and glared at Roxie, who took a step back. "Who gives a crap?" She asked calmly, which scared Hugh. "Who gives a crap?! I'll tell you who gives a crap! Those Pokemon who just finished battling and lost! They're exhausted! Yet, you want to battle with them again?! You could get them killed, you idiot! What the hell are you thinking?!"

Hugh put a hand on her shoulder, a sign asking her to calm down. She took a deep breath and looked back at Hugh. "I'm okay." She looked at Roxie, but there was no anger in her eyes anymore. "I'm sorry, but I will not battle you again until your team has fully recovered."

Roxie, who had been staring at Rosa with surprise, shook her head. "I don't know why I said any of that. I'm not sure why I said that. Besides, I left my team at the gym with the band so they could recover, so I can't battle anyway."

Hugh stepped forward. "Anyways," he started. "Why'd you leave the gym?"

Roxie gasped. "Oh, crap! I forgot! Rosa! Did you see someone suspicious in the audience when we were battling earlier?"

"Suspicious, huh?" She thought over it. Since the gym was a music club a lot of fans were there to watch the band, 'Koffing and the Toxics', and the battles were just a random thing that could happen if you were lucky. Rosa had looked to the crowd a few times when battling, but they all looked the same. There really wasn't someone who stood out. "I don't think so. Why?"

"Well, someone always comes down from PokeStar Studios to see if-"

"PokeStar Studios?!" Rosa and Hugh exclaimed.

PokeStar Studios was where all of the movies in Unova were created, but they all had amazing actors, singers, dancers, and almost everything you could want in a movie. As a small child, both Rosa and Hugh had the same dream of becoming an actor. They even said they wanted to star in a movie together, but over time, the dream faded away and was replaced with different dreams, such as being an amazing trainer.

Roxie chuckled at their reaction. "Yep! PokeStar Studios! But, as usual, someone came to watch the challenger of the gym battle to see if-

"If the challenger would be a good actor or, in this case, actress." A boy who looked about their age walked toward them, but it was hard to tell exactly what he looked like. He had on a tan coat, like the ones detectives wear in movies, and a matching hat covered his eyes. How could he even see?

Roxie looked annoyed when he stopped beside her. "Geez, Chr-, uh, Curtis! Couldn't you at least let me finish?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, Rox, but Mr. Deeoh wants them there as soon as possible."

Rosa blinked. "Who's 'them'?"

Curtis chuckled. "You two, silly!" He began walking off quickly. "Follow me!"

They both cast a look at Roxie, who gave them a reassuring nod. They glanced at each other before following.

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(At the entrance of PokeStar Studios)

"Hey! Hey, you!" Rosa yelled after Curtis with Hugh running beside her. "Curtis!"

He stopped as he hit yellow bricks on the road. "We're here! Finally!" He pulled off his coat and hat. Throwing them aside, we could now see he had on black and grey shirt rolled up to the sleeves, black pants, and a green tie on. His eyes were dark green and his hair was blonde with green tips. It was sticking up in a fashionable style. Rosa knew who he was in an instant.

"Christoph Green?!"

Hugh looked confused. "Who?"

Ignoring him, she timidly walked up to the celebrity. "W-why are _you_ here?"

The blonde chuckled. "Have you already forgotten? Mr. Deeoh told me to be on the lookout for strong trainers, and you fit that spot, Rosa. Follow me." As he turned he looked back at them. "Hey, and don't bother with the 'Christoph Green' thing. That's my stage name. My actual name is Curtis Green." He began walking off.

Before Rosa followed, Hugh grabbed her wrist. "Is this a good idea?"

Rosa shrugged. "I'm not sure, but maybe Chris-, oops! I mean, Curtis, will explain everything soon."

Hugh still wasn't too sure that it was that simple. Everything just seemed to happen so fast. A little too fast for his liking.

The two followed Curtis until they came to a building. The studio, they presumed. When they all walked inside, it was busy. People were running everywhere, like there was a emergency.

A lady at the desk, who had been typing away at the computer, turned and smiled when she saw Curtis. "Oh, Christoph! You're back!" She looked at Rosa and Hugh. "Is one of these trainers going to be our actor or actress in the movie?"

Curtis nodded. "Yes, she is. I'm going to take them to the VIP room so I can test their acting and singing skill." He looked back. "Let's go."

He led them to a set of stairs. Once they all got to the top, you could still see and hear the chaos. Yet, when they entered the door at the end of the hallway, all the noise went mute.

The VIP room was bigger than Rosa thought. In the corner there was a huge mirror and tons of makeup kits. A TV sat in the middle of a wall, and a rack with costumes and dresses was on the other side of the room. In the back looked like a recording studio.

Curtis stretched and collapsed on the couch in front of the TV. "Well, I'm exhausted, but you guys probably want me to explain, don't you?"

Rosa, thinking about sitting next to Curtis, decided to sit on a small chair. "Yes, please." Hugh stood behind her.

"Okay, let's see," he started. "Well, as you seem to know, Rosa, I'm Curtis Green, but my stage name is Christoph Green. I'm an actor, singer, and dancer, so I'm pretty much famous around Unova. Well, the owner of PokeStar Studios, Mr, Stu Deeoh, had the idea of a new movie and wanted me to play the leading male role. He was planning on asking my co-worker, Yancy Heart, to play the lead female role, but Yancy doesn't have any experence in battling, which the is what the main roles need. I'm not the best, but at least I had some experience. So I'm always sent to Virbank Gym to see if there's any female challengers that would win. Sadly, mostly guys appeared and the few girls that did come never won, until you came, Rosa. You have so much experience battling, and I bet you'd be the best Riolu Girl anyone's ever seen!"

Rosa blinked. "You mean, you want _me_ to star in a movie with _you?!"_

He smiled and she flushed. "Would you be willing to?"

Hugh was getting annoyed, and a little jealous at how easily he was able to get Rosa to blush.

Rosa nodded. Curtis stood up and gestured to the recording studio. "Since it's the easiest, do you want to do ahead and have the singing test?"

Rosa had never sang in front of anyone, not even Hugh. She'd never felt like it, but at that moments, a warm feeling felt in her heart, like it was telling her to sing. She wondered if she'd even sound good.

"Sure."

She walked past him into the sound booth, but was surprised when Curtis came in with her. He noticed her expression. "The song is a duet. I'll sing with you."

Hugh growled slightly, but walked over to listen. They couldn't hear him, but he could at least hear them.

Curtis looked out the window. "Hugh, press the recording button."

He clicked it, and music began playing.

All three were amazed how it sounded:

 _Curtis: In the beginnin', I never thought it would be you. When we were chillin', just smiling in the photo booth._

 _Rosa: But we got closer, yeah. Soon you were eatin' off my spoon. You're comin' over, and we would talk all afternoon._

 _Both: Tonight we'll just get drunk, disturb the peace._

 _Rosa: Find your hands, all over me!_

 _Curtis: And then you'll bit your lip, whisper and say,_

 _Rosa: We're going all the way._

 _Both: Tonight! Take me to the other side! Sparks fly like the Fourth of July! Just take me to the other side! I see that sexy look in your eyes and I know, we ain't friends anymore._

 _Rosa: If we walk down this road, we'll be lovers for sure!_

 _Both: So tonight! Kiss me like it's do or die! And take me to the other side!_

The music slowed to a stop. Out of breath from singing, Curtis and Rosa looked into each other's eyes. They both smiled and laughed a little bit, but they both felt the spark that just went through them both.

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 **Syl: FINALLY! YOU BROUGHT CURTIS INTO THIS!**

 **I know, I know. I just thought it was time for him to get in the story.**

 **Syl: So is there going to be more Curtis X Rosa moments?**

 **Duh! Of course! But don't forget Hugh X Rosa. Can't forget them. Anyways, the song is "The Other Side" by Jason Derulo. I just thought it'd be a cute song for them to sing together.**

 **Syl: If lyrics are wrong, don't bother correcting Linz. She wrote it by ear.**

 **Okay, shut up. I'm not perfect.**

 **Syl: Review!**


	8. Rehearsal Time!

**To all of you that complain that it's a short chapter: TOUGH LUCK BUTTERCUP!**

 **Syl: Gosh! What's gotten into you?**

 **Bad week, okay?! Just leave me alone! *storms out door***

 **Syl: Okay, readers. I don't know if she's mad about losing the original chapter to this (which was super long) or that she's just going through crap. Anyway, don't let Linz's bad mood bum you out. Read and Enjoy!**

* * *

Rosa nodded as she reread though the script again.

The two had decided to practice together while Hugh trained. It'd been a day since they sang, and Rosa already passed her acting test. That meant all that was left was rehearsing and actually shooting the movie. Though ever since the singing test with Curtis, Rosa had been feeling strange around the blonde celebrity. Her heart sped up, it felt like there were Butterfree in her stomach, and her face would get red hot.

"Okay! Rosa and Christoph! Can you two start from page 48?" The director yelled from the side.

"Yes, sir!" They responded at the same time.

Rosa set her script down and went to the end of the stage where she was supposed to start the scene. If she was remembering correctly, this was when Riolu-Kid (Curtis) and Riolu-Girl (Rosa) talk about their plan to capture Brycen-Man, the evil villain. Riolu-Kid's real name was Percy and Riolu-Girl's real name was Hope.

"Aaaaand, ACTION!" The director yelled.

Time to shine. "Percy, what will we do?"

Curtis was bent over at a desk used as a prop. "I don't know, Hope. I just don't know."

Wow! He was _good!_ He truly sounded like he'd given up!

Rosa walked to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "We can't just do nothing! People will get killed!"

He pushed my hand away and glared at me as he stood up straight. "Can't you see I understand that?! What am I supposed to do, Hope?! What _can_ we do? We're just two teenagers!"

She clenched her fists in fake anger. "Just two teenagers? _Just two teenagers?!_ Could two teenagers stop criminals daily like we do? No, they couldn't! We're so much more than _just two teenagers!_ We're heroes, Percy!"

His eyes softened. "Hope," he whispered. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "Hope, I promise somehow we'll get through this."

Rosa's heart was going crazy! She could feel her cheeks blushing, but she followed the script and hugged him back. "I know we will."

The lights dimmed and the director yelled, "Cut!"

She pulled back from the hug quickly.

Curtis blinked at her speed before smiling at her. "Nice acting! Almost made it sound real!"

Was he kidding? _Her_ acting seemed real? His acting made it seem like they were living through the actual scene!

"No, I was average. You were great!"

He opened his mouth to say something but the director butt in by walking in between them.

"Perfect!" he exclaimed. "Just perfect!"

"Thank you." Curtis responded. "Anything we could do to make it better?"

"Actually," the director began with a smirk. "You _could_ add something to the script that some of us directors feel like would make the movie _POP!"_ Rosa and Curtis flinched when he yelled the last word.

"Um, and that would be?" Rosa asked, a little worried about what she was being asked to do.

"Well, the audience will probably think there's a little romance going on between Percy and Hope, correct?"

"Uh, yes?" Rosa gulped. She had an idea of what the request was. Glancing at Curtis and his shocked face, she could only assume he guessed it, too.

The director smiled and motioned them to lean in closer. Then he whispered, "Hope and Percy will _kiss!"_

* * *

 ***storms back in***

 **Syl: Forgot something?**

 **No! *hastily grabs 'I Hunt Killers' off her bookshelf and storms back out***

 **Syl: She'll be back soon. She is over halfway done with the book anyway. Review! (And post some extra ideas for Linz! She's running out of 'em!"**


	9. Final Performance

**Here's a long chapter to make up for the last chapter being short! Read and review!**

 **Syl: No stupid commentary?**

 **Nope! Too busy watching Fairy Tail.**

 **Syl: Ooooh no! You are _not_ getting caught up in another show!**

 **Too late!**

* * *

"No! No way!" Hugh yelled.

Rosa was lying on a couch in the VIP room, on her break. It'd been a week since she and Curtis were told about the script change... and the kiss. Afraid how they'd act, she hadn't told Hugh or the Pokemon.

Until now, that is.

"Tell them you won't it! Refuse to do it!" Hugh was still ranting to her, while the Pokemon, who had watched for a while, had retreated to their PokeBalls to stay away from the shouting. "You can't do it!"

She sighed. "It's not like I have a choice, Hugh. I signed a contract saying I _had_ to do everything the script said."

"Screw the script!"

"Honestly, stop. It's acting. It's not like the kiss will _mean_ anything."

"I still don't want you locking lips with _him!_ " He was pacing the room now, trying to blow off some steam.

Rosa sat up and looked at him. "Why do you care, anyway?" She wasn't too excited about the kiss either, but Hugh was flipping out like he was the one having to kiss me.

"I-I just don't, uh," he stammered, growing a little flushed. "D-don't want you kissing that... that... that pretty boy!"

Before she could respond, the overhead intercom announced: _Rosa White and Christoph Green, report to the movie set for final takes of the last scenes. I repeat,_ _Rosa White and Christoph Green, report to the movie set for final takes of the last scenes._

"I have to go," she said before realizing she stated the obvious. "Sorry-"

She was cut off as Hugh stormed out the room. Staring at him in shock at first, she ran after him, but he was already downstairs, knocking a few people out of the way as he went, and busting through the main doors.

Rosa sulked as she walked down and made her way into the set. Curtis was already there, talking to the director. Once she made it over there, the director seemed to jump for joy.

"Ah, Miss Rosa! You are here!" He snatched a paper from a nearby desk and shoved it into her hands. "Here's the new script for the new scenes! We'll be recording them today, and any mistakes you make will be added on to the movie!"

"Wait, what?"

Curtis stepped forward. "The release date will be coming up soon, and they need all the recordings we have. This is the last day the tech crew will give us to finish the few scenes we have."

"Oh," she murmured. She hadn't thought about that. "So I need to get in costume?"

"Later," the director answered. "First, you and Christoph need to go over the new script! Go on, go practice!" He motioned to a table on the other side of the set.

The two made there way over to practice. Once they got there, Rosa sat on the top of the table and Curtis leaned on the wall.

Curtis broke the silence with an unexpected question. "So, mind telling me why you're so gloomy today?"

Geez, he read her like a book! "I'm not gloomy!"

He poked her arm gently. "Liar. What's on your mind?"

She looked at the ground. "Well, if I'm honest, it's Hugh. I told him and the other Pokemon about the whole kiss scene thing and he got really mad at me. I told him it was just acting, but he just left and slammed the door on his way out."

His cheeks grew pink at the mention of the kiss. "Oh, yikes. I'm sorry."

"Forget about it. I'll talk to him later, if I can. Let's practice." She looked at the script. No much was different except, well, the kiss scene and a few added lines.

Curtis was skimming his own paper until he exclaimed, "Can't you see I understand that?! What am I supposed to do, Hope?! What _can_ we do? We're just two teenagers!"

I followed his lead. "Just two teenagers? _Just two teenagers?!_ Could two teenagers stop criminals daily like we do? No, they couldn't! We're so much more than _just two teenagers!_ We're heroes, Percy!"

"Hope, I promise somehow we'll get through this."

"I know we will."

They paused, knowing they were silent in a hug for the scene, until Curtis moved to the next line.

"Hope, please, never leave my side."

"I'd never do that! I'm your sidekick, remember?"

"I mean, never leave me, sidekick or not. I want you to always be with me. I want you to be mine and me be yours."

Another pause. A longer one than before.

Rosa decided to break the silence, daring to say what they were both thinking. "I guess that's where we kiss..." She felt the blood rise in her cheeks as her face grew a little pink.

Curtis, though, was full on red in the face. "Y-yeah, I guess..."

Before either could say another word, a rack of costumes was pushed right in front of them.

A woman, who Rosa only knew as the one who was in charge of outfits, popped up from the middle of the rack. "Time to get dressed! Here's your costumes!" She handed them folded up clothes with matching red masks facing up.

Rosa thanked the woman and hurried into the dressing room. She was in no hurry to start the scene, but she loved her costume! She changed quickly and looked at herself in the mirror. She wore a short-sleeved yellow dress, black tights, a red belt with a infinity-like sign at the buckle, red boots, red gloves, and a red clip-on cape with a blue jewel as the clip. She didn't know why she loved wearing the costume, she just did. It was like she had some sort of connection with Hope when she wore it. Except, that did seem kinda stupid.

She stared at herself in the mirror before putting on her mask and walking back out to the set.

As he saw her come out of the dressing room, the director yelled, "Get to your places! We are doing the scene where Hope cheers up Percy! Page 48!"

Page 48: the scene she and Curtis had just gone over. Also known as, the kiss scene. Rosa gulped. It wasn't that she didn't like Curtis, no of course not, but she always felt weird around him. He was, or used to be, her celebrity crush! Now, that she met him, and he was as nice and sweet as on TV, she thought it wasn't just a celebrity crush anymore. Celebrity crushes are crushes you know that'll never be anything more, but now Rosa thought she had a full blown crush on Curtis.

She shook the thought away and followed directions, getting her place. Just as she turned around, she saw Curtis walk on set with his costume on. He wore red and yellow pants, a blue shirt, a yellow cape that doubled as a vest in the front, a red belt with a normal buckle, red boots, and red gloves. He wasn't wearing his mask yet, but he didn't need it for this scene. Rosa had her mask on until... Never mind...

But she couldn't deny Curtis looked extremely handsome in his costume.

He came to his place, set his mask on a table used as a prop, and hunched over it, placing his hands on the edge. He was signaling he was ready. Rosa looked back at the director and gave a thumbs-up, showing she was also ready.

"Okay, you two! Remember, any minor mistakes you make will be in the movie permanently! Sorry, we're just out of time!" He reminded. "Ready? Aaaaaand ACTION!

They went through the first lines with ease, but both could tell that the other was nervous.

Too soon, Curtis said, "I want you to be mine and me be yours."

They had already been in a hug, but now they had to pull back a bit to look in each other's eyes. Rosa's cheeks were burning up as he took off her mask, but she forced herself to close her eyes and lean toward him, and he did the same. Their lips were only an inch apart. Her heart was racing. She mentally braced herself for his lips on hers.

But they never came. Curtis slowly pulled back, breaking their embrace. He whispered, but he was still loud enough for the microphone and camera to hear him, "I-I can't do this. _We_ can't do this."

He turned and ran out the doors of the set. Rosa stared at him in shock, still trying to understand what happened. She thought about running after him, but what if she was the reason he ran off? He wouldn't talk to her, if that was the cause.

She decided to wait it out.

* * *

About half a hour later, Curtis came back in, still in costume, and apologized to the director, who was more confused than angry. He didn't apologize to Rosa, though. In fact, he never even talked to her unless they were acting out a scene. He never spoke using his own words; only words that were written came out of his mouth.

The director announced that they would keep the scene Curtis ran out in the movie, since it surprisingly fit well into the story line.

After they shot all the scenes, and done all their work for the day, they were told that the movie would be released to the public in a month, and they told Rosa she could continue her travels now. Heck, they even got her and Hugh boat rides to Castelia City, the largest city in Unova!

Rosa was back in the VIP room, packing her stuff. She'd called Hugh to tell him, but when he answered, he still sounded annoyed. He still agreed to come and help pack though.

On cue, Hugh came in, still looking how he sounded on the phone. He glanced at Rosa packing before going to the other side of the room to help pack some of his own stuff.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Hugh spoke up. "So, how'd the scene go?"

She knew she could go ahead and ask which scene, but the real question was 'Did you actually kiss him?' She replied with, "He ran out in the middle of the scene."

"Before or after?"

"We didn't kiss, Hugh."

A sigh of relief escaped Hugh, which Rosa noticed. Before she could ask about it, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" she yelled.

To her surprise, Curtis walked in. "Rosa? Can I talk to you?"

She glanced at Hugh, who glared at Curtis, before nodding. Curtis closed the door and looked at Hugh.

"May I talk to Rosa _alone?"_ He asked.

Hugh scowled. "No. Whatever you have to say can be said in front of me too."

Curtis narrowed his eyes before turning back to Rosa. "Anyway, I want to say sorry for how I acted today. After I ran out, I mean."

She looked to the floor and turned away resumed to packing. "I get why you ran out; if you didn't I probably would have. But what I don't understand is why you just started ignoring me."

"It just felt weird- Wait! I-I mean, I just felt kinda weird around you! It wasn't weird! I was! Wait, what?" He began to stammer.

Rosa giggled at his awkwardness. "Okay, okay! You're forgiven! Just stop before you say something stupid!"

Curtis chuckled and blushed. "Anyways, can I, uh, ask a favor?"

"Sure. Shoot."

"I have an aunt in Castelia City, and I kinda promised to go see her. I overheard about the tickets you two got and I was wondering... Can I, um, go with you guys?"

"No way!" Hugh jumped up.

"Why can't he?" Rosa asked while Curtis narrowed his eyes again at him.

"We, uh, only have two tickets, remember? And we shouldn't have to use our money to buy _him_ a ticket to go with us!"

* * *

 **First, who do you want to officially be shipped? LiveCasterShipping (Rosa and Curtis!) or SequelShipping (Rosa and Hugh)?**

 **Syl: Do you not know who you want to be with Rosa?**

 **Maybe... Second, it may be a while before I update this story again unless I finish the next chapter for Crossed Hearts XOXO!**

 **Syl: I would care if I wasn't in Crossed Hearts.**

 **Third, if you have any questions about the story or me, ask and I might do a question and answer thing-a-ma-job! You can ask more than one!**

 **Syl: Are you done?**

 **Yep!**

 **Syl: Review and answer her questions!**


	10. Castelia City Chaos

**Okay, I'm sooooo sorry this update took so long! I've been busy with softball, band's solo and ensemble, my grades, and my new school writing assignments every week!**

 **Syl: You could say things have been a little _chaotic,_ huh?**

 **Shut up with the pun. Anyways, I'm hoping the next update won't take two friggin' months. Again, really sorry!**

 **Syl: Any other news?**

 **Yes, and this is for readers who also read my X & Y fanfiction, "Crossed Hearts XOXO." I may delete the story and save it for later. Updating two stories is a little overwhelming. It's not for sure though!**

 **Syl: Anyways, read and enjoy!**

* * *

Rosa raised her hands above her head and stretched while standing on a dock. "As much as I love traveling, I'm happy to finally be off that boat!"

Curtis took a deep breath through his nose. "I hear you, but I'm not too excited to be in the big city."

"Oh, really?" They turned around and faced Hugh. "I thought you'd be used to the big cities, pretty boy."

Curtis glared at him. "Stop calling me 'pretty boy', and outside the studio and stage, I'm just a normal person."

Hugh snorted in disbelief. "Are you kidding? Just because you changed your clothes and combed your hair down doesn't make you a 'normal person.'"

"People won't recognize me, and at least my hair isn't a giant mess! You look like a Qwil-" He stopped, remembering Rosa's warning on the boat about calling Hugh a Qwilfish.

But it was too late. "Say it, pretty boy! I dare you!"

"Can you two stop?" Rosa moved and stood between them. "You argued the whole ride here, and I'm sick and tired of hearing it! If you can't say anything nice to each other then _SHUT UP!"_

The boys blinked at her before glaring at each other. Yet, they never said anything, so Rosa took that as a sign her point got through. She smiled and looked at the stretch of ocean they just came from. She hadn't been traveling for maybe a week, and she's already got two gym badges and is already in the biggest city in Unova! _Wonder how Mom's doing?_ she thought. Normally, she wasn't so worried about her mother, but the anniversary of when Rosa's father came and left was coming up.

Rosa didn't know her dad, not even his name, but her mother said she and him were madly in love, but he couldn't stay. She never said why, but he just couldn't. According to her, though, Rosa looked like her mother but acted like him a lot.

She closed her eyes. _I wonder if Dad could talk to Pokemon, too..._

A hand touched her shoulder. "Hey, Unova to Rosa? You okay?"

She looked at Hugh behind her. He looked worried, but he always got like that when he figured something was wrong.

"Yeah," she replied. "Where's Curtis?" The blonde was nowhere in sight.

Hugh shrugged. "He said he was going ahead. I was about to follow until I saw you were dozing off."

She smiled at her friend's concern. "I'm fine. Let's go catch up."

He nodded as she ran across the dock onto the streets of Castelia City. Curtis was staring at all the buildings, as where Hugh and Rosa when they got to his side. It was in the middle of the afternoon, but the skyscrapers looked a little intimidating. Rosa wondered how it looked at night until she remembered the most important reason to be here.

"The gym!" She exclaimed, making the boys jump.

"Geez, Rosa," Curtis said with a hand over his heart. "What about the gym?"

"Okay, let me think," she murmured, already thinking about her upcoming battle. "The Castelia City Gym is a Bug-type gym, and Bug-types are weak aganist Flying-types, so Tranquill should be able to help me out..." She trailed off, all her thoughts no longer being said out loud.

Hugh chuckled. "It's hilarious when she gets all into thought like this." He walked over and poked her head. "Hey, wake up."

She smacked his hand and crossed her arms. "I'm not asleep, I'm just thinking of a strategy to win."

"You know what'll help you win?" She looked at him confusingly. "Training and leveling up. I heard from Papa Roxie that the Castelia Sewers were a great place to practice; lots of wild Pokemon and I'm willing to bet that you could catch a Pokemon that'll help you like a Zubat."

"The sewers?" She repeated. "It _does_ sound like a great place to train, but if I went," She turned to Curtis. "Where would you go?"

Curtis shrugged. "I don't know. I don't have any need to train, so I guess I'd just watch you two practice."

"You could go ahead and visit your aunt," Rosa suggested, remembering his reason to come with them.

Curtis, on the other hand, had _completely_ forgotten his 'reason.' "O-oh, right! Maybe I'll see her later. I'd rather see your gym battle since I only saw you at the Virbank Gym, but it was so crowded I could barely see."

She nodded and looked at Hugh. "I think I'm ready for the gym without training, so I'm going to have to pass the offer of going to the sewers."

He shrugged. "Honestly, I'm surprised you even thought about coming with me, but even so, I still want to train with Tepig and Pidove." He patted her head and smiled. "Kick some Gym Leader butt for me, deal?"

She nodded. "Deal."

He walked off down the street, giving a little wave as he left.

"Does he even know where he's going?" Curtis mumbled to Rosa.

"Doubt it," she giggled. "But he'll find his way soon enough. Besides, I saw a map on the dock, so I know where the gym is."

"So, what are waiting on?" He asked.

But Rosa was already running the opposite way Hugh went.

* * *

"WHAT?!" Rosa exclaimed, seeing the giant 'CLOSED' sign on the door of the gym.

"That's weird." Curtis was trying to think of-

"Where the heck is the Gym Leader?" The girl read his thoughts.

He shrugged. "Maybe something came up?"

"Nope!" A voice came behind them. They turned around and found a young girl about their age was behind them. Her eyes reminded Rosa of rubies, and she had dark purple hair. She wore a long-sleeve yellow shirt with a pink skirt and white pants. "He probably just left to go to Nacrene City." She turned to Curtis. "So, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until he gets back to battle Burgh."

He shook his head. "I'm not the one battling. Rosa is the challenger."

The girl looked at the trainer. "You?"

Rosa nodded. Did this girl think she couldn't win or something?

Instead the girl perked up. "Oh my gosh, finally!" She ran over and jumped in front of Rosa. "Are you traveling to collect all the badges?"

She nodded again.

"I'm Iris! I used to travel around, too, but-"

A ring cut Iris off. Rosa looked at her wrist and saw her Xtransceiver ringing, but she was confused at the Caller's ID. "Sorry," she murmured to Iris as she hit answer. "Hugh, I though you were training."

"I _was_ going to, but when I came down here, some suspicious people were up ahead."

"So?" Hugh always thought things were suspicious, and he normally dove in headfirst to figure it out.

"Rosa, this isn't like all the other times something has tipped me off as weird. Remember the guy that stole Herdier at Floccesy Ranch?"

"What is he talking about?" Curtis asked.

"How could I forget?" She replied to Hugh, ignoring the blonde.

"These people have the same uniform on as that guy."

What? Hold on, didn't that man say something about being in an organization? What was it called? Rocket? No, that was a many years ago in Kanto. Plasma? Yeah, that sounded right.

"Team Plasma," she whispered before speaking up. "Hugh, I'm on my way. Don't be stupid and go into battle yet. We'll fight them together." Without waiting for a response, she hung up. "Sorry, Iris, but something just came up and I've got to go." She ran off down the way they had come.

"Sorry," Curtis said before chasing off after Rosa.

He caught up with her when they got to where the three had first split up, but she kept running.

"Rosa," Curtis panted. "Slow down!"

She stopped and, to Curtis' surprise, she wasn't even winded. "Curtis, I have to hurry! Hugh might be in trouble!"

"Doesn't he have his Pokemon with him?"

"You're funny if you think I'm just going to let him fend for himself. I'm going."

Before she could run off without him, he grabbed her wrist. "Rosa." She glanced at him, determination in her eyes. His heart skipped a beat seeing how kind she was, going to her best friend's rescue. He snapped the thought away. "How can I help?"

Her gaze softened for a moment. "Can you battle?"

"Not very well."

"Didn't you battle for the movie, though?"

He sweatdropped. "I don't exactly have a knack for battling like you do."

"Then go to the police. A battle will most likely break out and we can only hold them off for so long."

He nodded and whispered, "Be careful, okay?"

She nodded back and they went their separate ways. Once Rosa got to the last pier, she ran down it, down the stairs, and into the sewers. She expected to see Hugh the second she ran in, but no one was in sight. A small, steel bridge led to another side that continued deeper into the sewers. It wasn't until then Rosa realized she was out of breath and the smell of the sewer was making it hard to breathe, but she still pushed through to run farther in. Then she heard the yelling.

"What are you jerks planning?!"

Hugh's voice.

 _A_ _rceus dammit, Hugh! Did I not say don't be stupid?_ She thought as she stopped and craned her neck around a corner and finally spotted Hugh.

Pignite- _Tepig must have evolved_ \- was standing in front of Hugh, snorting small amounts of fire at a Sandile and a Scraggy. Two male Plasma Grunts, who looked extremely annoyed, stood behind their Pokemon.

"Do you really think we'd tell you?" The first grunt said.

"I'll make you tell me!" Hugh looked more angry than confident.

"Oh, really?" he second grunt asked. "Two against one makes the odds come into our favor, if you haven't noticed."

Rosa threw a PokeBall and it opened a Servine right beside Pignite and moved beside Hugh. "Then let's even it out!"

The second grunt cursed under his breath, and the first grunt yelled, "I don't think so! Scraggy, use Headbutt on Servine!"

Before Rosa could react, Hugh was already commanding. "Pignite, use Arm Thrust on Scraggy before it gets to Servine!"

Following orders, Pignite jumping in front of Servine and, right as Scraggy appearing, used a powerful Arm Thrust. Scraggy fell on the floor, defeated by the super-effective move.

The second grunt opened his mouth to give an order, but Rosa was quicker. "Servine! Leaf Tornado on Sandile!" After that, Sandile joined Scraggy on the floor, fainted.

"What the hell?" One of the grunts murmured.

He might have said more if we hadn't heard footsteps approaching.

"Huh?" Hugh looked toward the sound. "Who could be-"

"Curtis," she answered, following his gaze. "I told him to get the police."

Right as a policeman, along with Curtis, turned the corner, a small noise stood out to Rosa.

 _Zzzztt..._

She whipped around to the grunts, only to be staring at a huge hole in the wall. "What the-? Where'd they go?"

Hugh looked back and his eyes widened. "No way," he whispered.

The police officer, who's name tag said 'Rudy Watts," took a look at the two trainers. "Are you two okay?" Rosa nodded, but Hugh was still staring at the hole. "What happened?"

Since only one could talk at the moment, Rosa explained. After she finished, the man took a photo out. "You said Team Plasma, correct?" When she nodded he showed her the picture. "Is this who you fought?"

The picture was _not_ who she and Hugh had battled. The picture had a man and woman in uniforms that looked like they resembled knights and it was mostly gray.

"No, sir," she answered. "The men we fought had black uniforms on."

Officer Watts looked confused. "Black uniforms? Hmm... Interesting." He fell silent for a couple moments. "I'll tell Chief Jenny about this and we'll investigate." With that, he began running off, probably to the exit.

Curtis walked up to the girl. "I bet the UPD can handle this. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah," Rosa murmured, only half listening. The name 'Plasma' got to her. Like she'd only realized she had heard this name before now.

The blonde noticed her glazed eyes, but before he could ask, Hugh spoke up. "Think they fled though the hole?"

Rosa snapped back to the present, and moved to stand next to her best friend. "Doubt it. We would've heard them running."

"It could've been covered by blondie's and Officer 'What's-His-Name."

"They were closer to us than them! We would've heard them! And would you stop with those stupid nicknames for Curtis?!"

Hugh was surprised with her defending him as much as Curtis was. "That doesn't matter right now! I say we look for them past the hole in the wall!"

"There's no one in there." A man walked out of the hole. He wore a lab coat and had blonde hair with a very unique style with a part being shaded blue and wrapping around the back of his head. "I was just in there doing research. It is a dead end, so no one would've been able to go anywhere."

Hugh crossed his arms. "I still think I should check it out."

"There would be no point," the man continued. "Besides, you'd scare the pokemon that I am researching. I ask you not to go in there."

"I'm still going." He began walking forward but Rosa gripped the back of his jacket. He looked at her.

"Go check into the hotel." He was about to argue but she glared at him and growled, " _Now._ "

He scowled and mumbled under his breath, but turned around and began walking back to the exit with clenched fists.

She watched him leave before bowing to the blonde man. "I'm very sorry. We won't disturb your research. Please excuse us."

She turned, grabbed Curtis' hand, and turned the corner to come back the way they came. Once she walked up the stairs and breathed in a lung-full of fresh, ocean air, she realized how much it truly stank down there.

Curtis cleared his throat, and she realized she was still holding his hand. She felt herself burn up from head to toe before releasing her grip. "S-sorry!" Why was she embarrassed all of a sudden.

"It's fine," he said. She tried to escape the awkward moment by walking away but he stepped in front of her. "Hey, can I ask you a question and you _not_ laugh at me for it?"

"Sure, I guess. Shoot."

"So, there's this girl, and I really want to ask her on a date, but I'm a little afraid to... Any advice?"

Rosa felt like she had just been punched in the gut. It felt like her heart was literally breaking a little bit. But she sucked it up. "Well, I, um, say just go out on a limb and ask her."

She tried to move around him but he blocked her way again. "Okay, then. Want to go out to dinner or something tomorrow night?"

Blinking once, then a second time, she exclaimed, "What?"

He chuckled a little bit, but he was obviously embarrassed. "You don't have to if you don't wa-"

"No!" she interrupted him. "I'd love to! Tomorrow night sounds great!"

Curtis smiled. "Well, that's great!"

"Hey, just wondering, is this going to be kinda like..." She trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

He nodded. "I'm asking you on a date."

* * *

 **Okay, so Curtis and Rosa are FINALLY going on a date! Sorry if the ending is a little rushed, but I wanted to hurry and update since it's been so long!**

 **Syl: Hey, wait, what about Rosa and Hugh?**

 **I have my plans for them, don't worry.**

 **Syl: Can we do a random question thing-a-ma-jobber?**

 **Sure?**

 **Syl: Who all has played SMD (Super Mystery Dungeon), and if you have, who were you and your partner and what do you like/dislike about it?**

 **That's not random. You're asking that because I've been playing SMD the past week.**

 **Syl: And you _suck_ at the boss battles.**


	11. Questions and No Answers

**My internet is finally working again!**

 **Syl: Perfect timing, too, since you've been stuck in bed for four days.**

 **But me being sick gave me time to make this a longer chapter than normal, so it's not completely bad!**

 **Syl: Well, let's hope your readers like it.**

 **Read and enjoy!**

* * *

Rosa looked in the mirror as she tied small, blue ribbons around the buns in her hair. She grabbed her brush, pulled a few strokes through the pigtails coming down from the buns, then smoothed out her dress.

She turned to Servine and Pidove, who were dozing off on the well made bed. "Well, how do I look?"

Pidove flapped his wings. " _Very pretty!"_

Servine raised his head. " _Good, but would you let me rest, please?"_ There was annoyance in his voice.

She sweatdropped. "Sorry! You both deserve it after that Gym Battle." She turned back to the mirror. Her dress was casual, plaid and white on the sleeves and chest, and there were two small pockets on the front.

The room was smaller than one would've thought. There was only a small bed, one window and the very end, and a cramped bathroom where her legs hit the bathtub if she sat on the toilet, but at least she could make sure she looked normal in the mirror.

" _When's Curtis coming to pick you up?"_ Servine asked.

"I thought you wanted to sleep?" she teased.

 _"Well, I also want to know when your date is picking you up."_

"Well, he's not picking me up. We're meeting at the cafe."

The green Pokemon rolled his eyes. " _He's_ such _a gentleman."_

Before she could respond, Pidove chirped. " _What about Hugh?"_

Rosa stepped out of the bathroom and held out her hand, inviting the bird to perch on her forearm. "What about him?"

" _I thought you liked him."_

She swerved around the topic. "Where is he, anyways?"

The question didn't faze him. " _Don't you like him?"_

She shrugged. "I-"

A loud knock was at the door. Pidove screeched and flew to the window on the other side of the room while Servine jumped up and released his vines near his neck, ready to engage in a fight. The trainer looked through the peephole.

 _Well, speak of the devil,_ she thought as she opened the door. "Geez, Hugh, you didn't have to knock so loud." The Pokemon in the room relaxed. He walked in and stared at her for a few moments. "Hugh? You okay?"

His cheeks blushed. "Ah! Sorry! I just wasn't expecting you to be, uh," he stammered. "You know, all dressed up. You look amazing."

Pidove squawked. _"You like him! He likes you! Perfect match!"_

Rosa was suddenly grateful that she was the only one who could hear that as she felt the blood rush to her face. "Thanks, Hugh. Are you here for Pidove?"

"Yeah, but I also did some research that I want to talk to you about."

"What'd you do research on?"

"Team Plasma."

She sighed. "Look, I don't trust the police with this case either, but-"

"That's not why I did research on them." His voice cut her off. "I have my own reasons."

His eyes were dark; whatever his reasons were, he wasn't ready to talk about them yet. "Okay, well what did you find out?"

He moved past her and sat on the bed, crossing his legs. She followed and sat next to Servine, who laid back down and rested his head on his trainer's lap.

"So," he began. "Seventeen or eighteen years ago, a group of people named Team Plasma tried to convince people to release their Pokemon. Their goal was to liberate all Pokemon from trainers."

Rosa listened quietly, but multiple questions were already forming in her mind.

"The leader of their project was a man named N, who Team Plasma called their king. They stole, lied, and cheated almost everywhere they went, just to get what they want." He clinched his fists. "It's so stupid!"

She placed her hand over his. "Uncurl your fist." He did as she asked. "What else did you find?"

"Well, long story short, a trainer stopped them multiple times, and even defeated N himself. Team Plasma was disbanded and, even though there were some small reports of them, they didn't cause any more big problems after that."

Time to release the questions. "Does it say if they did any drastic measures to complete their goal? Who defeated them? Why did they return?"

Hugh sweatdropped. "I just found a small amount, Rosa! I didn't get that many details!"

She sighed. "Sorry, I got carried away. But between now and when they disbanded there hasn't been any reports of them?"

"None. At least, not until recently."

She sorted through her thoughts for a moment. "Do we know if the Team Plasma today is the same as the Team Plasma seventeen years ago?"

He pulled a photo out of his jacket pocket. "Does this look familiar?"

She took the picture. It was a picture of what looked like a half black, half white shield with a blue P in the middle. It was the same logo they saw on the Plasma grunts in the sewers. She nodded.

"That's the Plasma logo from seventeen years ago, meaning that-"

"The Plasma now is the same as before."

Silence spread through the room. It was too much to handle at one time. Technically, it wasn't any of their concern, but still...

"Do you think the police have figured all this out?" Rosa murmured, loud enough for Hugh to hear.

"Probably," he replied.

 _"Sorry to disturb,"_ Servine's voice rang through Rosa's head. " _But what time are you supposed to meet Curtis?"_

She gasped and looked at the clock. It was exactly six o'clock and she and Curtis planned to meet at six thirty.

And she had _no_ clue as of where the cafe even was!

"Crap!" She jumped off the bed and looked at herself in the mirror once more before looking back at Hugh. "Sorry, Hugh, but I have to go! Do you mind watching my Pokemon for me?"

Her best friend stood up. "Sure, but where are you going?"

She hesitated. Would he get mad if he knew she and Curtis were going on a date? He never really seemed to like him. Maybe he'd be okay with it?

That was doubtful. "I'm just going out to check out the city. This is the largest city in Unova!" It wasn't the complete truth, but it wasn't a big lie, either. "Plus, we need to head to Nimbasa tomorrow, so I should make the most of tonight."

"Guess that's true."

She tossed six Poke Balls on the bed, and opened the door to leave. Servine jumped up and caught up with her, tugging on her dress with his short arms. _"At least take me with you."_

She smiled. "Sorry, buddy, but I want to be on my own tonight." _That's a lie. I'll be with Curtis, and Servine knows._ She turned to leave again before realizing something. "Hugh?"

"Hm?" He glanced at her as he attached her Poke Balls to his belt with his.

"You didn't do any research on Team Plasma, did you?" She asked without turning to look at him. "You already knew all that information."

Hugh didn't say anything for a few moments before looking at the floor. "Man, I know we're best friends but am I that easy to read?"

The girl looked behind her shoulder at him. "It's not that. The night I snuck you out so you could travel with me, we had the same conversation about Team Plasma. I had forgotten about it until now. Why did-"

He opened his mouth before she finished her question. "Please don't ask, Rosa. Just don't. Like I said before, I have my own reasons."

"Okay," she murmured as she began closing the door on her way out.

"I'll be at Liberty Island if you need me." He said that last sentence before the door closed all the way.

Not caring that she was in a dress, she took off running down the hall. To go faster, she went down the stairs instead of taking the elevator, and dashed out of the lobby. It was dark and all the streetlamps were on, but the city still looked beautiful. People were hurrying to where they needed to go, and even pushing some people out of the way. Across the street, there was a giant sign with a map on it.

Swerving through all the locals, she made it to the map and look. The 'You Are Here' dot showed she was on Street with Pokemon Gym. _How unique,_ she thought as she looked for a cafe. It didn't take long to find it on the map.

"Ah-ha! Cafe Sonata! And it's only one street down!"

She started toward the street that led to all the docks in the front of the city, and she didn't stop until she made it to Narrow Street. Honestly, it looked more like a creepy, dark alley than a street. It reminded her of all those cop shows when they found the murdered body in an alley.

She took a few steps in, feeling a little cautious about her surroundings. Large dumpsters were lined up against the left side of the wall, while a small sign on the right said...

 _Cafe Sonata! Found it!_

An red-orange door was in the wall, and just before the girl opened it, her ears caught on a conversation. The voices were faint, but they were within earshot.

"Just give me the damn battery already." The first voice was a woman, who seemed to be annoyed from the sound of her tone.

"Then give me my money," a calm, deeper voice said. Most likely a man. "Or else, no battery."

"You won't get a cent until I see you have the battery." Silence spread for a moment or two. "Surprise, surprise. You really do have it. Now," A grunt of pain was heard. "Tootles!"

Rosa turned to see a silhouette running out from behind a dumpster and toward the back of the city, opposite of where Rosa had walked in.

The trainer abandoned the cafe's door and glanced behind where the voices had come from. A man with a black suit, black hair, and sunglasses on was out cold, sprawled out on the ground, though it was hard to see him with the darkened surroundings.

She shook him for a bit, hoping to get him to come to. "Sir? Sir, wake up!"

He didn't wake up.

She checked his breathing and pulse, which seemed to be okay, and moved him to make him look like he was just sitting up with his back against the dumpster. She'd come back to help him later. For now, she needed to check around and see if the woman who fled had dropped anything. Using the Xtransceiver on her wrist as light, she searched the area.

Something blue reflected off of the ground when light touched it. Rosa picked up the object. It was a sphere, half white and half blue. It kind of looked like...

The pigtailed girl stepped out of the darkness into the light of the cafe's sign. A button came into view, and the blue became transparent, showing a Sandile confined in it. The Plasma logo rested above the release button.

This was one of Team Plasma's pokemon, and the woman who retreated had left it behind.

Rosa tightened her grip on the ball, but her anger wasn't toward the Sandile; it was toward the one's who abandoned it.

She flashed a glance at the cafe. _I'm sorry, Curtis._

Dropping the Poke Ball into her dress' front pocket, the trainer pulled off her Xtranceiver and opened the voice message app. She sighed and recorded her voice. "Curtis, Hugh, or whoever is listening, please help the man that's in the space behind one of the dumpsters next to Cafe Sonata. A Team Plasma grunt knocked him out and fled. I'm going after her. She ran towards Route 4." She didn't want to worry the guys. "Don't worry about me! I'll be fine! I promise! Sincerely, Rosa." Hitting end, she hung the device on a corner of the sign where Curtis would see it when he got tired of waiting for her and walked out.

Not wasting another second, Rosa took off running off in pursuit of the Plasma woman. Pushing past locals, and getting many glares from doing so, and passing a long street, she finally stepped foot in Route 4.

From what she could remember on her map, Route 4 had been under construction to change it from a desert to a more modern area, but it was called off from the discovery of the ruins and multiple relics farther in.

Sand stung her eyes and skin, and breathing it into her lungs burned, so Rosa was forced to cover her nose and mouth with her hand to filter out the dirt and sand from oxygen. It was still hard to breathe, and her dress and hair were flapping in the wind. Barely able to see a few feet in front of her, she pushed on through the sandstorm, determined to catch Team Plasma.

After stumbling for about ten minutes, her ears picked up voices. They were faint, and very quiet through the gust, but you could here bits and pieces of the conversation. She held her arms out until she found a rock, and took shelter behind it. The sand couldn't reach her anymore, and she could let air flow though her lungs easier.

She strained her ears to listen.

"Sir, - - the battery." It was the woman's voice from the alley, but why was she still talking about the battery?

"Thank -, Admin." This voice was familiar, but the girl couldn't remember where she'd heard it. " - this -, we can finally - the - and proceed-"

"What do you think you're doing?" A voice, clear and close, sounded from behind her and a hand gripped her arm harshly. She pulled away and came face to face with a male Plasma grunt.

 _Dammit,_ she thought as her hand reached for the purse she didn't have on her. Realizing she left all her Pokemon with Hugh, she swore at herself. _Double dammit! I'm in trouble!_

Her only choice was to run, but as she turned around the grunt threw Poke Balls like the one Sandile was in, and four Magnemite popped out in a flash of light. Not wasting a second, each one went for Rosa's wrists and ankles.

"Thunder Wave!" The grunt ordered the Pokemon.

A jolt of electricity weaved through Rosa's muscles, making her cry out in pain. After many seconds of pain, the Magnemite released her and she collapsed in the sand. She tried to get up, but her body was paralyzed and nothing would move.

The man sat her up against the rock and took a good look at her face. "You were the one who beat us in the sewers, aren't you?" Her tongue was numb, so she couldn't respond. He laughed. "Now that I gotta look at you, you're one pretty lady!" His face went back to serious. "But, I can't let your snooping go unpunished."

Rosa's heart was pounding in fear as he picked her up and carried her over his shoulder. Her body ached at being moved, but she kept looking for ways out. The Thunder Wave isn't very strong, even with four Pokemon using it, so it should wear off quick.

Unfortunately, it was still in effect when he dropped her in front of a female grunt. She studied her for a few seconds before asking, "What do you want us to do with her?"

The familiar voice spoke again as a man came into view. "I'm not interested in what you do with the girl." Her eyes widened as she recognized the blonde hair, lab coat, and strange hairstyle. It was the researcher from Castelia Sewers. "I've already moved the Crustle out of the path ahead, so we should be able to continue without difficulty." Without another word, he turned the way he came and walked off.

"Damn, Colress," the woman growled. "Don't see why Boss let him join when he only cares about his goals, not ours. Anyways," she turned back to Rosa. "Time to deal with you." She released a Sneasel. "Knock her out."

Sneasel nodded and unsheathed it's claws. Without a moment of hesitation, it slashed her right thigh and her left hip. The pigtailed trainer gritted her teeth, unable to open her mouth to scream. The gashes were deep and bleeding out.

"Use your Magnemite to carry her," the woman ordered the man as she returned Sneasel.

He nodded and sent his Pokemon to the injured trainer's side. They made a small square and used electromagnetic waves to lift her slightly. As the grunts began to go farther into Route 4, the steel types followed, carrying their cargo.

Looking at the ground, she could see a small trail of red blood. _Her_ blood.

After floating for twenty minutes, the Magnemite dropped her forcefully on a sand dune in one of the ruins. She bit her cheek in pain as sand entered her wounds.

The man lifted her chin with his hand. "This ought to teach you not to get in our way."

The two grunts left, leaving her bleeding out on the sand, probably deep in the route. What were the odds of someone finding her? Not very likely.

Her vision was starting to blur, and the paralysis still hadn't worn off.

She had no clue how long she'd been lying there when she heard a screech. Her eyes, half closed, looked at the entrance to see a silhouette of a person. The shadow had wild hair that looked familiar.

 _Hugh?_

As the person came closer, he became a little clearer. If she was able to move, she would've jumped in surprise. No wonder she had thought he looked familiar.

"N-Nate..." Rosa's tongue allowed her to say that one name before losing consciousness.

* * *

 **Syl: Wait, who the heck is Nate?**

 **-smirks- Guess you'll find out next chapter.**

 **Syl: Oh, boy.**

 **Anyway, I'll try to make updates more often, but I'm also really busy, so I don't know when I'll be able to type again. Sorry if it takes too long!**


	12. The Lost Get Found

**Yes, I changed my name. Why? Because I have a Pokemon Instagram account and it's easier for my new friends to find me if I have the same username here as I do on Instagram.**

 **Syl: Does this mean I leave since I'm not a Houndoom?**

 **No, because you were made by my best friend, and she helps me too much on these chapters to not have her character here.**

 **Syl: Since you told us your Pokemon account's username, can your readers go follow you?**

 **Yes! I'd be amazing to know you guys care!**

 **Syl: Now, tell me, when did you start to write this chapter?**

 **Today... (Read and enjoy!)**

* * *

Hugh's trip to Liberty Island was mostly to check out the rumor of a powerful mythical Pokemon who apparently used to take refuge in the lighthouse there. Of course, if it was true, it wasn't there anymore. A little disappointed, he returned to Castelia City by boat. After thanking the sailor, he walked into the main street. He checked his Xtransceiver's clock.

Seven-thirty, he thought to himself. A little early to be headed back to the hotel for the night. Maybe I'll hunt down a Casteliacone stand and get some ice cream.

"Hugh!" He turned at his name, and saw Curtis spiriting toward him, all dressed up in a nice shirt and jeans.

"What do you want, blondie?" Hugh asked as Curtis got to him. "And why are you all dressed up?"

"Rosa was supposed to meet me at the cafe tonight," he said between his struggle to get his breath. "But after waiting a half hour for her, I went to look for her."

"You two were going to go on a date?" Hugh asked slowly.

"She didn't tell you?"

"No," he muttered darkly. "She didn't." Tension was thick was in the air between them. "Where is she? She stand you up, or something?"

Curtis stood up straight, finally getting his breath. Without saying a word, he pulled a pink Xtransceiver off his wrist. Hugh recognized it as Rosa's.

Opening it, Curtis tossed it to Hugh. A voice message was there. "Play it," Curtis murmured.

The trainer clicked the play button, and Rosa's voice came out.

"Curtis, Hugh, or whoever is listening, please help the man that's in the space behind one of the dumpsters next to Cafe Sonata. A Team Plasma grunt knocked him out and fled. I'm going after her. She ran towards Route 4." She paused. "Don't worry about me! I'll be fine! I promise! Sincerely, Rosa."

Hugh stared at the electronic, in shock. Was she stupid?! She shouldn't have gone alone! She could get hurt, or worse!

"We should probably go give her some backup," Curtis stated. "Though, she's probably already battled them and beaten them." He turned to go. "I thought you should know since you can battle with her."

Hugh grabbed his wrist. "Curtis."

"What?"

"She's defenseless."

"What are you talking about? She's got Servine, Eevee, Riolu, and more."

He pulled out a Pokeball from his belt and showed it to the celebrity. "No, she doesn't."

Servine stared at Curtis from the transparent top. "Tell me this is a joke." Curtis whispered.

"Does it sound like I'm joking?" He didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed the Xtransceiver out of Hugh's hands and looked at its screen. "What are you doing?"

"Six-eighteen," he murmured. "She recorded the voice message at six-eighteen."

Hugh felt like his blood froze. She'd gone after Team Plasma, by herself, over an hour ago. "Go help the man Rosa mentioned. Take him to the Pokemon Center." He turned down the road and started running.

I can only hope she's there, he thought to himself silently. Please let me find her back there. Please.

Passing past strangers, he made a beeline to the hotel. The automatic doors opened upon sensing him, and he ran past the front desk and the elevator, hoping to get there faster by stairs. Skipping a few at a time, he reached the third floor in record time.

When he got to her room, he knocked loudly. "Rosa?" No answer. He knocked louder. "Rosa! If you're in there, open up!" Still no response from the inside. He jiggled the door, but he didn't have the key card to unlock the electronic lock.

He was about to try to force the door down when one of the Poke Balls on his belt started to shake. Before he could grab it, a flash of light blinded him and Rosa's Magnemite appeared. Hugh gawked at it. "Did you just let yourself out?" Ignoring the trainer's question, Magnemite floated over to the doorknob. Pressing a magnet to it, a spark was released through the knob. It backed away and looked at Hugh.

Hugh tried the doorknob again, but this time, the door opened with no problem. Magnemite had short-circuited the lock, causing it to unlock! Thanking and returning the Pokemon, he entered the room, half expecting Rosa to be laying on the bed asleep, but his spark of hope disappeared when no one was seen in the room.

He sighed and sat on the bed. "Rosa," he murmured. "Where are you?"

Six Poke Balls on his belt shook vigorously, but they were't his Pokemon. They were Rosa's.

He grabbed a random one and held it in his hand. A Growlithe stared back at him though the top, a sad look on his face. Hugh remembered when Rosa caught the Growlithe at Virbank Complex, and remembered how she battled with it. He was a loyal partner to her.

"Wanna come out for a bit?" Hugh wanted to cheer him up. When the Pokemon nodded back, Hugh pressed the button to let him out. In a flash of bright light, the red-orange Puppy Pokemon was sitting on the floor. Sniffing the carpet for a few seconds, he went to the door of the room and scratched it, looking back at Hugh expectantly.

Thinking that he needed to be taken outside, Hugh got up and turned the doorknob. But, the second he could fit though, Growlithe squeezed through the door, dashed into the hall, and ran down the stairs.

"Hey!" Hugh called out, but Pokemon wasn't listening. Slamming the door, he gave chase after his best friend's Pokemon.

By the time he got to the stairs, Growlithe was already at the bottom. Skipping stairs as he went down, he ran into the lobby, spotting a cream-colored tail exit the hotel. Many other people checking into the hotel were watching the Pokemon leave in confusion, and many gave Hugh strange looks as he was passing by. When he got outside, he was kind of surprised to see Growlithe waiting on the sidewalk a good distance away, but once he saw he had the trainer's attention, he took off toward Oceanfront Road.

Hugh's thoughts were only of pursuing Rosa's sly and cunning Fire-type, but he didn't think of where he could be leading him. His brain didn't acknowledge it when he ran into the alleyway.

"Growlithe!" He yelled, having lost sight of the puppy.

A bark echoed farther along the street, bouncing off the walls. When Hugh caught up to him, he noticed the cafe door. It wasn't very flashy, but it was noticeable. Growlithe was next to a dumpster on the other wall, sniffing the whole area.

Rosa's scent, he realized, was what the Pokemon was looking for, though he couldn't help but wonder how he could smell anything when the whole area stank of garbage.

Catching a scent, Growlithe rose his nose to the starry sky, startling Hugh, and howled before running deeper into the darkness of the alley. Coming back to his senses, the trainer started after the Pokemon again.

Going past the fountain, through the route tunnel, Hugh was greeted by a raging sandstorm. Sand filled his nose and stung his eyes. He could hardly see three feet in front of him, and lost sight of Growlithe. He tried calling for the Pokemon, but opening his mouth caused sand to erupt into his mouth, breathing it into his lungs. He backtracked and took shelter in the route tunnel.

Damn. Growlithe was a Fire-type, and a sandstorm could render him powerless; he was in trouble if he was attacked.

Hugh sighed. He couldn't just let his rival's Pokemon get injured. Putting his hand over his mouth and nose, in hopes that it'd filter out the sand, and went back into Route 4.

Squinting his eyes, he kept a lookout for red-orange fur while he followed the path.

Halfway to where the ruins started, he heard the slightest noise. Tracking the sound, he found Growlithe bundled up next to a large rock, whimpering as the sandstorm raged on.

The Pokemon was hiding his face, trying to let a minimum amount of sand go up his nose. He needed something to filter out the earth from the air.

An idea formed in Hugh's head.

He stepped forward, but when he got behind the boulder with the puppy, he was growled at. Purposely not taking the hint, Hugh scooched over closer and took off his jacket, leaving on his black tank top. Using his free hand, he tried to cover the Pokemon's head with the cloth, but Growlithe snapped forward and bit Hugh.

The trainer cringed and recoiled at the action, and Growlithe started coughing, having opening his mouth.

Hugh had to get the Pokemon out of the sandstorm, and fast.

Trying again, determined to succeed this time, Hugh hurriedly covered Growlithe's face with his jacket and picked him up before sprinting to the nearest ruin.

He entered the ruin, which was filled with hills of sand, and set Growlithe down and took a few steps away, keeping a distance for his own safety.

Growlithe shook the jacket off his head and clinched it in his teeth. A growl erupted in his throat as he stared at the jacket's owner.

"I did it… So you… Could breathe," Hugh panted, out of breath either from sprinting to the ruin or the sand that had flowed down his throat while he was holding Growlithe. Probably both. He grunted as he sat on a sand dune.

Growlithe's growl disappeared slowly, and his eyes softened. Awkwardly, he padded over to Hugh and dropped the jacket on his leg. As the boy reached to pick it up, the puppy licked the hand he had bitten earlier, now ashamed for what he did.

Hugh grinned and patted his head. "Don't worry about it," he murmured. "Let's focus on finding Rosa first."

By mentioning his trainer, Growlithe perked up and immediately pressed his nose down, searching for a scent.

"All that you're going to smell here is-" Hugh stopped talking when Growlithe stopped sniffing to look at something. He stared at it for a moment before he started barking loudly. Shooting up, the boy rushed over to the Pokemon's side. "Shhh! What'd you find?"

Dread washed over him when he spotted crimson blotches stained in the sand. That was blood. And if it made Growlithe stop searching, then it was Rosa's scent. That was Rosa's blood.

Hugh grabbed his jacket and wrapped it around Growlithe's face, leaving the eyes the only thing exposed.

"Can you still smell her?"

He nodded.

"Then lead on."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

When they got to Nimbasa's Pokemon Center, Hugh returned Growlithe to his Poke Ball and pulled his jacket back on before running inside. It looked like almost every Pokemon Center he'd visited, and Nurse Joy was no exception. She was standing behind the counter, talking to a trainer with a blue and white hoodie, jeans, and a cap with a Poke Ball logo, and giving him back his Pikachu.

"Nurse Joy!"

"Hmm?" She looked over at Hugh. "Yes, may I help you?"

"Has a girl named Rosa White recently come in here?!" He couldn't help but shouting, even though it was drawing attention to him.

"My, keep your voice down," Joy said with a little annoyance in her voice. Even so, she checked a board behind the desk. "Yes, someone brought her in a few hours ago, but I don't think you should bother her."

"Why not?!" he demanded.

"She's not in the best condition," a low voice answered from Hugh's left. When he looked over, he saw a boy, about his age. He was tall and skinny, and his hair was wild and messy, much like Hugh's own hair. He wore a blue, short-sleeve jacket and beige, knee-length pants. His red visor made his hair seem even more spiky and out of control.

"You are?" Hugh had never seen this boy before, but if he knew about Rosa's condition, he must've seen her while she was here.

"Nate," he said simply. "And you?"

"Hugh," he growled, already not liking the dude. "I need to see Rosa. Now."

"Not gonna happen. She's not in good shape right now, and the last thing she needs is annoying people bothering her."

"Look-"

"BOYS!"

Both trainers looked at Nurse Joy, shocked she raised her voice.

"Nate," she began. "You brought Rosa here hours ago, and haven't stopped watching her since." Hugh felt a rush of anger, thinking that this boy has been watching Rosa sleep for hours! "Maybe you should rest a little bit and let Hugh watch her." Nate opened his mouth to complain but Joy raised her hand, silencing him.

Seeing he didn't have a choice, Nate grumbled something inaudible and stalked out of the center. Hugh thanked Nurse Joy and ran into the double doors at his left. Scanning the names as he went by, he didn't stop until he found the nameplate, "Rosa White."

He cracked the door, whispering, "Rosa?" as he came in completely. The room was completely dark, with the exception of the rays of sunlight pouring through the window. On a hospital bed in the center of the room was Rosa, dressed in a tank top and shorts, her hair out of her pigtail-bun style. On the far side, in a corner, was a small desk that had a bloodstained dress on top of it.

Hugh pulled the chair from the desk over to Rosa's bed. Her breathing was fine, and the heart monitor showed her pulse as normal, but Hugh couldn't keep his eyes off the bandages on her right thigh and left hip, both of which were painted red with blood.

He cursed at himself for not questioning where she was going; for taking her Poke Balls without thinking; for not protecting her.

She shivered, and Hugh automatically took off his jacket and laid it on top of her. He gripped her hand and kissed her forehead, thankful she wouldn't know he did it.

Exhaustion finally settled into his body, and he put his head down on Rosa's bed. Maybe he imagined it, but he felt the slightest squeeze from the hand he was holding.

* * *

 **Oh. My. Gosh. There were so many different ways to write this, so I finally just went with my gut!**

 **Syl: Update news?**

 **I'm actually on vacation right now, but, if you're lucky, I might have an update soon!**

 **Syl: Depends if she'll stop staying up all night and can stay awake during the day.**

 **Ah, shut up. It gets done, doesn't it?**

 **Syl: Whatever. Review!**


	13. No More Secrets (Part 1)

**Hey, everyone! Alpha here! Sorry this update took so long! Not gonna lie, I just kept procrastinating. So, I busted my butt these last two days and got this finished! Or at least half of it. My original outline of this chapter was twice as big as this, so I decided to cut it in half and make it two chapters instead of one! Also, school starts for me tomorrow so, as usual, it'll be hard for me to write. Monday is band, Tuesday is band and cheer, Wednesday is cheer, Thursday is watching my boyfriend play football, and Friday and cheering at football. Sorry, I'm just busy! But, in good news, I may be getting a co-author soon! So she might work on a little bit when I'm busy!**

 **Now that I'm done babbling, read and enjoy!**

* * *

"Are you okay? Does it hurt to walk?" Hugh fretted over his childhood friend. "Should we stop?"

Rosa had woken up the morning after Hugh found her. Feeling confined in the Pokemon Center, she asked Nurse Joy if she could explore around Nimbasa City with Hugh. Agreeing that the girl needed some fresh air, Joy rewrapped her bandages, which were stained red in places, and gave her a freshly washed dress, the same one that she was brought in with.

It made her happy to hear Hugh worry over her, but he was starting to hit a nerve. "Like I said five minutes ago, I'm _fine,_ Hugh!"

He sighed, still stressing over her injuries. "Okay, but if it bothers you, even a little, tell me."

She rolled her eyes playfully and went a few steps ahead of her best friend. She turned around, walking backwards, and said, "So what's the plan?"

Hugh was looking behind her, in case she was about to run into someone. "What do you want to do?" She shrugged and he glanced at her. "Weren't you the one who wanted to explore? I thought you knew where you wanted to go."

"Exactly! I said I wanted to _explore!_ " she pointed out. "I've never been here before!"

Hugh sighed and stayed focus on making sure the girl didn't run into anyone or anything, but honestly, he was more focused on how she got her injury. she never exactly as specified how she got it but he was sure he knew. Hugh had already despised Team Plasma, but now he hated them even more for hurting her. He also slightly hated himself for letting her get hurt.

He then realized that Rosa I was talking to him. "Huh?" He snapped out of his thoughts. "What did you say?"

"I was saying that we could go to the musical since I know that that's a big deal around here," she repeated, a little irritated that Hugh wasn't listening. When he nodded she smiled happily, glad that she had found something for them to do besides walking around the city. She turned back around and started walking in front of Hugh.

It had been awhile since the two of them had just hung out together since Curtis join their group. Rosa thought it'd be nice just hanging out with Hugh.

Rosa stopped, realizing that something, or more precisely someone was missing.

She turned the Hugh, who had stopped to avoid running into her when she stopped, and said, "Where's Curtis?"

Hugh didn't not processing the question in his brain at first, but when he realized what she was asking, he silently cursed inside his head. He hadn't realized he didn't mention leaving Castelia City to Curtis at all. He was probably still back at the city wondering where he had gone, or still looking for Rosa.

Hugh sweatdropped worried that Rosa would be angry at him for leaving Curtis behind, Even if it was by accident.

"Well…," he started, putting a hand behind his back, obviously showing he felt guilty. "I was so focused on finding you that I never really mentioned when I got to Route 4, so I accidentally left him behind."

He closed his eyes and prepared for a scolding from his best friend, but open them back up when it never came. Instead, Rosa was just staring at him like she was expecting him to do something. When he stared back with a confused expression she said, "So call or text him and tell him where we are!"

He grunted in response. Though he left the blonde behind by accident, he still didn't want him around; he just wanted it to be him and Rosa. But he also knew better than to argue with Rosa, so he lifted his wrist to type on his Xtransceiver. Finding his contact, he typed:

Hugh: _Found Rosa last night and we're in Nimbasa hurry up and get here_

Hitting send, he looked up and noticed Rosa already at the bridge ahead of him, staring into the water. When he caught up, he looked down with her.

There were two Basculin in the stream, a red-striped and a blue-striped. They were circling each other, making hostile cries between them.

Rosa sighed, still not aware of Hugh beside her. "I don't see why you can't get along, but if you're really bothered by it, just go your separate ways right here instead of fighting."

Hugh's eyes widened as the Basculin grew still and quiet, staring up at Rosa. It was as if they could understand her perfectly. Giving each other a final glare, they started their different ways, one going upstream and one going downstream.

"Wow," Hugh whispered, making Rosa jump in surprise.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"It was like you didn't even have to be their trainer to make them listen!" Hugh was amazed by his friend.

She smiled and hopped off the bridge and was back on the cement path. Hugh followed her lead and walked beside her. "Did you get ahold of Curtis?" she asked, changing the subject.

Hugh was about to say "Yeah," but his Xtransceiver went off, alerting him he had a message. He looked at the screen.

Curtis: _Thank Arceus! I'm glad you found her! But I'm afraid I can't go to Nimbasa right now. My manager called me, and I have to go back to PokeStar Studios to shoot a TV show. I'll meet up with you guys sooner or later, so just keep traveling without me. P.S. I'll send Rosa's Xtransceiver and stuff from Castelia Hotel over to the Nimbasa Pokemon Center._

Hugh felt like jumping for joy reading that. Curtis wouldn't be traveling with them for a while!

"Was that Curtis?" Rosa grabbed his wrist to see the gadget and read through the message. She sighed. "Well, that makes me feel worse…."

"About what?" Though he didn't really need to ask.

Rosa avoided his gaze. "No point in hiding it," she murmured. "Curtis and I-"

"Were going on a date?"

She gaped up at him, surprised, before staring at the cement she was walking on. "I'm sorry…."

"For what?" He had expected her to babble on and on about why she didn't tell him, but he wasn't expecting an apology.

"For not telling you he and I were going on a date, and lying at the hotel."

"Don't apologize; it didn't bother me much," he lied. It did bother him. A lot. "But why didn't you tell me?"

"The last time a boy flirted with me, nevermind take me on a date, was when I was thirteen and Randy McGee asked if he could walk me home after school." She giggled slightly, thinking back on the memory.

Hugh, on the other hand, was trying, and ultimately failing, not to laugh. "Keep going! It's my favorite part of the story!"

She covered her mouth, speaking through her hands. "You insisted you come along, and when he said no, you followed us far enough away where we couldn't see you, and when Randy tried to hold my hand, you tackled him to the ground!"

Hugh stopped to double over in laughter, and Rosa joined in.

Pleased that he wasn't angry with her, Rosa dashed forward. "Race ya! Last one there is a rotten Exeggcute!"

Hugh stumbled in his attempt to get on his feet, but once he had stable footing, he chased after the pigtailed trainer.

Even with the headstart, Rosa was still passed by Hugh, who was overall more athletic than anyone else she knew.

By the time she arrived to the Musical, he was leaning against the arch of the entrance. A smirk crossed his face as the brunette caught up to him, out of breath.

"Anyone else smell a rotten Exeggcute?"

She playfully punched him in the arm. "Shut up! I blame my hip!"

They walked in, surprised to find not a single person in sight except the woman behind the counter. A little cautious, the trainers walked up to her.

Rosa flashed a warm smile. "Hello! Is it too late to buy a ticket for the next show?"

The woman returned the gesture, but with a little more pity. "I'm afraid so, miss. I'm very-"

"SHERRY!" A man with a very lavish, black tux ran into the room. His red bowtie was untied and his hat was crooked. "We have a very, very big problem!"

"What is it, sir? The woman asked worriedly.

"Two of our dancers have just called in ill! What are we going to do?" The man was shaking all over.

Rosa's heart pitied him, and she walked over to him. "Let me help you," she murmured as she fixed his bowtie and adjusted his hat. A small name tag was pinned on the right side of his suit reading "Carmina."

He blinked in surprise. "Why, thank you, miss. Who might you be?"

"I'm Rosa," she introduced herself as she turned to Sherry. "What's the problem with the dancers?"

Sherry sighed and explained. "We usually have four dancers for our musical, but, as you just heard-"

"Two cannot perform! The show is ruined!" He dramatically fell to his knees and rose his hands into the air.

Rosa shared a glance with Hugh, who was standing next to the counter. She nodded toward the man, and Hugh shook his head. He knew what she was going to do,

and he did not want to be part of it.

"Is there any way we can help you?" She asked, moving slightly so the man saw Hugh.

His eyes sparkled and he jumped up and took both of Rosa's hands. "Are you two Pokemon Trainers?" Rosa nodded. "Arceus, thank you! Follow me!" He ran into a door beside the counter.

"Thank you," Sherry said. "These musicals mean the world to Mr. Carmina."

"It's no problem!" She looked around. "Where'd Hugh go?"

"You're friend? He's over there." Sherry pointed to the entrance as Hugh was walking out.

"Oh, no you don't!" Rosa ran over there and grabbed Hugh by his ear and dragged him toward the performer's entrance. "We're helping Mr. Carmina with his musical!"

"I can't dance!" Hugh protested as he was dragged along.

Ignoring him, she took him into the room Mr. Carmina walked into. The room was a dance studio from the look of it. There were four stations on one side of the room, where at the time two women were looking through identical heart-shaped bags. The other side of the room was made to look like a stage. A door leading to the stage was in the far back.

Mr. Carmina was standing in the middle of the room with two Pokemon, each on one side of him. A Lilligant was holding a pink parasol, and a Cinccino had blue ribbons tied on her ears.

"These are our two remaining dancers," Mr. Carmina gestured to the two beautiful Pokemon as Rosa released her grip on Hugh.

"They're Pokemon?" Hugh rubbed his ear.

"It's called the Pokemon Musical for a reason!" Mr. Carmina cackled. "Which of your Pokemon will dance with these two?"

Rosa's hand immediately went to where her belt would be if she had her usual clothes, but it wasn't there. She turned to Hugh and lifted his jacket a little to see which of her Pokemon she'd choose.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Hugh asked as she took a PokeBall off his belt.

"You still have my team, remember?"

She threw the PokeBall in the air and, in a flash, Servine appeared. He looked around for a few seconds before noticing his trainer.

"Vine!" Servine launched himself at Rosa in a rare expression of happiness. But before he ran into his trainer, Hugh stepped between them quickly, causing the Grass Snake Pokemon to land in front of him.

"She's injured," Hugh sternly informed him. "Don't tackle her."

Servine huffed before swiftly moving around to Rosa's leg and nuzzled it gently.

Rosa knelt down and hugged her partner. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Servine," the Pokemon sighed, before backing away and scolding his trainer. "Vine servine!"

Rosa stood and looked at Mr. Carmina, who had been watching. "Servine will dance with one of your Pokemon."

"Splendid!" he exclaimed and looked expectantly at Hugh.

Hugh sweatdropped and grabbed a PokeBall off his belt. Releasing his partner, he said, "Pignite will dance."

Pignite shrugged, showing he didn't care either way.

"Wonderful!" he said happily. "We'll take them over here and teach them the dance! You two go to the dress-up area and pick out their outfits!" Without another word, he ran off to the side of the room with all four Pokemon following.

* * *

A few hours later, the Pokemon were on stage, waiting for the lights to come on. The whole place was filled with women, who were chatting quietly while waiting for the show to start.

Mr. Carmina had come to check on how things were going and ended up staying to look at the audience.

The trainers of the dancing Pokemon were backstage, whispering together. Or at least, Rosa and the women were whispering while Hugh sat on a box in the dark.

"Is this really your first time to ever come to the musical?" The first women asked.

"Yes," Rosa replied. "I hope Servine does well."

"Darling," the second women spoke up. "Your Servine looked amazing during rehearsal. If he messes up, Lilligant or Cinccino will get him back on beat."

"Thank you! That puts me at ease." Rosa noticed Hugh sitting alone. "Excuse me, please."

Hugh, noticing Rosa was walking over, moved over to share the box with her. "Thought you were having 'girl talk.'" he murmured as she sat down.

She shrugged. "I was, until I saw that my best friend was sitting on a box alone in the dark." She nudged his shoulder playfully.

Before he could nudge her back, the lights slowly turned on, showing the dancers.

Lilligant had her pink parasol, and beside her, Servine had a black top hat, bowtie, and held a small cane.

They both bowed in a greeting, and the audience turned their attention to the other pairing.

Cinccino had her ribbons on her ears, and looked very cute, but most everyone was watching Pignite…

Pignite was dressed in a colorful wig, and had a big, red ball as a nose. He looked at the other three Pokemon and realized how wrong he looked compared to the rest.

Hugh stared at his partner with wide eyes and felt his cheeks grow hot. When Mr. Carmina had said to pick out the outfits, Hugh assumed everyone would be choosing something random. But, judging from this scene laying out in front of him, there apparently was a theme.

Rosa, Mr. Carmina, and the two women were alternating their stares from Pignite to Hugh, all four of them in shock.

Mr. Carmina cleared his throat after a few seconds. "Well, unfortunately, the show must go on. Ladies," he said to the women. "Could you come with me? I need some assistance."

Once they left, leaving Rosa and Hugh alone, Rosa was silently laughing. It was taking everything she had not to die of laughter right there and then.

The music started and the Pokemon started dancing.

Hugh put his hands in his head. "Oh my, Arceus, please tell me this is a dream and Pignite isn't dancing out there looking like a clown."

Rosa wiped a tear out of her eye. "Pignite is going to roast you alive for this one!"

"No kidding," he murmured.

She put a hand on his knee. "Let's just watch the musical, and maybe Pignite's dancing will distract the audience from his costume."

They got up and looked through the curtain. Servine and Lilligant were dancing elegantly and in perfect sync. Lilligant's movement were a little simpler than Servine's, but the two of them made it look perfect.

Cinccino and Pignite, on the other hand, were completely out of sync. Pignite wasn't as graceful as Servine, and it was clear he didn't have the movements memorized. Cinccino was trying her best to make it work, but it wasn't going well.

"Or not," Rosa murmured.

The final pose at the end ended in Pignite tripping Cinccino and making her fall face first onto the stage.

As the lights dimmed, Cinccino left the stage like a professional, but once she was out of sight she ran into the dance studio. Lilligant went after her as fast as she could, being a very slow Pokemon.

Mr. Carmina came back in, thanking Rosa for her help, and purposely not thanking Hugh. The trainers hurried in getting their Pokemon's outfit off and leaving the building.

It was nearing about 6:00 by now, judging from the low sun.

"So, ready to head back?" Rosa asked Hugh.

"Not yet," he said as he grabbed her hand and started walking. "There's somewhere else I want us to go."

* * *

 **Where is Hugh taking Rosa? What will happen now that Curtis is gone (for now)? Will Pignite roast Hugh alive? Find out whenever I post the next chapter!**

 **And don't forget to follow my Pokemon account on Instagram! _Alpha_Houndoom_! Love you guys!**


	14. No More Secrets (Part 2)

**Hey, guys! Sorry I've been gone so long! Go ahead and read this chapter, and I'll update you on stuff at the end! Again, I'm so, so sorry I stopped writing! Enjoy!**

* * *

Rosa gasped at the sight in front of her. Bright lights flashed in multiple colors all around, and game booths were set up surrounding the street. In the distance, two buildings and a giant Ferris Wheel attracted attention. Visitors bustled around, all laughing and smiling.

Hugh had brought them to the Nimbasa City Fair!

The fair was around all year, but both trainers never got a chance to come due to their hometown being so far away. Honestly, Rosa had hoped she could come during her journey, and here she finally was!

"Hugh, this is amazing!" she exclaimed.

Hugh smiled, happy she liked it. "Are you going to stare the whole time or are you actually going to do something?"

She giggled, grabbed his wrist, and they joined the crowd in the festivities. She sang along with street musicians, and even got Hugh to dance with her for a little! Hugh didn't particularly enjoy dancing (and he looked like a Magikarp out of water when he tried), but he wasn't stupid enough to pass up the opportunity to get closer to Rosa. Hugh, after _ten tries_ at the _same game_ , won a Skitty plush at one of the game booths. In a flashy, purple building, there were tons of roller coasters to ride. As "revenge" for making him dance, Hugh made Rosa ride every single one. Even the extremely high ones that brought up her fear of heights, but the male trainer didn't mind it due to the fact she'd hold his hand almost every time.

* * *

The sun was close to setting by the time they finished. The two walked along the street together, eating cotton candy, and laughing at each other.

"Oh, Arceus, you should've seen your face when the ride dropped," Hugh laughed at the memory of Rosa on the roller coasters.

"Oh, shut up!" She tried to act annoyed but her giggle gave her away. "You were getting so mad at that game booth that I though steam was going to come out of your ears!"

"Hey, I won you that prize, didn't I?" He gestured to the Skitty plush under her arm.

"After nearly a dozen tries," she chuckled.

"It still counts!"

"Does it?" she joked.

Hugh almost retorted back, but a child in the corner of his eye made him stop to do a double take. A mother was bending over to comfort her crying daughter. The girl looked so much like Harper, his little sister, that it hurt him a little to see her upset.

Rosa stopped, too, and followed his gaze and watched them. Hugh knew she was probably thinking how much she resembled his sister, too. It surprised him, though, when she moved away from him and approached the couple. He followed suit.

Rosa squatted in front of the child, catching her and her mother's attention. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

The girl sniffed. "M-my Pichu! H-he's lost!" Her crying started up again. "I want Sparks back!" Her mother began trying, and failing, to comfort her again.

Rosa looked at her apologetically- she didn't mean to make the child cry again! "Is he here in the park?" she asked the child.

"Y-yes."

"Why don't I look for Sparks?" Rosa volunteered instantly.

Hugh cracked a grin. He knew that was coming from a mile away. Her kindness knew no bounds, especially when it came to children. He, on the other hand, kept his mouth shut. When people lost their pokemon, it usually struck a fuse and angered him. This time, though, he couldn't bring himself to be mad at the child.

The child slowed her crying and stared at Rosa. "R-really?"

"Mmhm," she nodded, moving her gaze to the mother. "If it's okay with your mom, that is."

Her mother grinned. "Yes, we'd be very thankful if you helped us, Miss, um..."

Rosa stood up with a beaming smile. "I'm Rosa, and the guy behind me is Hugh."

Hugh gave a small wave, gaining the attention of the mother and daughter who just noticed him there. The daughter, however, quickly turned her eyes to the Skitty under his arm.

"What's that?" she pointed, tears still streaming slowly down her cheeks.

Rosa glanced back at the toy Skitty, an idea forming in her mind. She gently took it from Hugh and moved her eyes back to the child.

"What's your name?" Rosa asked.

"Stella," she answered shyly.

"Well, Stella," Rosa squatted again and held out the Skitty to her. "Do you mind watching Skitty for us? We don't want her to get lost while we're looking for Sparks."

Stella slowly grabbed the plush and looked closely at it. After a moment, she hugged it tightly. "Thank you," she whispered as her mom led her away, most likely to search the area more.

Rosa smiled sweetly again before rising up again to face Hugh. "Send out Pidove. He can search from the sky."

Hugh gave a knowing smirk before grabbing a Pokeball off his belt and tossing it into the air. The pokemon that came after the flash was not a Pidove, but a Tranquill.

The pig-tailed trainer gasped as the bird pokemon landed on top of her head. "You evolved!"

 _"Surprise!"_ His voice rang in her head.

"Hey, buddy, we need you to help up look for a lost Pichu," Hugh explained. "Think you can cover the sky?

 _"No problem!"_ he cried out, taking to the sky.

As Rosa and Hugh searched through the crowd on the ground, they saw no sign of the small electric-type. After about fifteen minutes, they stopped at a fountain past the game booths. Hugh hoped they found the pokemon soon because the sun was close to setting, and there was still one thing he wanted Rosa to do. Plus, Rosa was already yawning, the past days' events catching up to her.

As Hugh was about to ask if her injuries were hurting her again, Tranquill screeched above them.

The trainer shot their heads up. "Find anything?" Rosa called.

 _"Yes! Follow me!"_

"He found Sparks!" Rosa confirmed. "Follow him!"

As Tranquill flew off, both trainer realized they were being led to the building in the far back of the carnival, past even the Ferris Wheel. The crowd around them thinned out, but loud music was heard from the building. Tranquill landed in front of the building where a woman was kneeling next to something small and yellow. The woman turned, revealing the Pichu that was next to her on the ground.

"Sparks, there you are!" Rosa exclaimed. Pichu cocked his head, obviously confused at who the trainer was. "Stella's been looking all over for you!"

At the mention of the girl's name, Sparks exclaimed, _"Where's Stella?"_

"Ah, so you're here to return little Pichu," the woman said as she stood. She had black pigtails that were longer than even Rosa's, and she wore a dazzling blue and yellow outfit with a big, thick yellow jacket over it. She looked stunning. "I'm glad you help him! I was hoping to look for his owner after my show?"

"Show?" Hugh asked. He had a hard time trusting people he just met, and something seemed strange about this woman.

"Yes, my name is Elesa," she replied. "I'm a model in the shows put on in this building, but I'm also the Gym Leader of Nimbasa City."

Hugh noticed something flashed in Rosa's eyes, but it dissapeared as quickly as it came. "Thank you, Elesa, for watching Sparks. We'll make sure he gets to his owner." Hugh said.

"I'll see you too it," she smiled as she turned and entered the building.

* * *

Tranquill hunted down Stella and her mother next to the fountain. Pichu had run up to her and nuzzled the girl while her mother thanked the two trainers for their help. When Stella tried to give the Skitty plush back, Rosa let her keep it. Even though Hugh won it for her, the little girl seemed to love it more than she ever would.

Rosa yawned as they watched the mother, daughter, and pokemon walk to the front of the carnival to leave. The sun was setting now, turning the sky to a beautiful pink and orange hue, and the day was beginning to catch up with the girl.

"Are you ready to go, Hugh?" she yawned again.

"Not yet," he replied. "I know you're tired, but there's one place we have to see before we go."

She almost complained, even turning to him, but his eyes locked onto her stopped her words. He had a gentle look in his eyes, which was rare sight to see. She sighed, giving in.

Sensing her surrender, he put a hand on her lower back and began leading her through the crowd. There was still tons people in the park, but many were headed toward the entrance to go home for the day. Hugh, however, was headed for something different.

Lucky for him, the line for the Ferris Wheel was short enough for them to get on without waiting long. Rosa blinked up at the giant wheel, her eyes revealing many emotions. Hugh could read excitement and awe in her, but also something else he couldn't describe. Something almost like sadness.

The way the carts of the wheel were set up with a single, long seat on one side, and glass from the chest up to see the view on the sides, behind, and on top. The trainers took a seat, Rosa on the left and Hugh on the right, and sat silently as the worker closed up their carrier. When the ride began moving, beginning its journey to the top, Rosa broke the silence.

"This place was very special to them," she murmured. "To my parents."

Hugh blinked. He hadn't known that. Does that mean she's not happy to be here? Was that why she looked a little upset getting on? Did he screw up?

As if she read his mind, she chuckled and looked out the window. "It's kind of weird, isn't it? That they saw the same view we're seeing now so many years ago. Now their daughter is seeing it all, too."

Hugh knew she'd start getting upset if she kept thinking about the father she wanted know. He needed to change the subject, and fast. Didn't matter what it was, as long as it distracted her present thoughts.

"Who's Nate?"

"What?"

"Who's Nate?" he repeated, mentally cursing at himself for choosing _that_ subject. "The guy who brought you to Nimbasa's Center?"

She blinked. "Nate brought me to the Center?"

Hugh almost growled, his jealously already burning. "Yes, now who is he?"

Rosa raised an eyebrow. "If it's the Nate with brown, wild hair, that's my cousin."

In a flash, his jealously vanished. "You're _cousin?_ "

"Yes," she said. "But I don't remember seeing Nate. Then again, I don't really remember anything after Team Plasma attacked me and left me."

Hugh clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "Thank you for bringing that up. Now I can ask a very important question: WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU GO AFTER TEAM PLASMA ALONE?"

Instead of retorting, she hung her head low, almost in shame. "I wasn't thinking," she murmured. "I'm sorry, Hugh. I probably gave you and Curtis a heart attack."

 _A heart attack doesn't even begin to describe it,_ Hugh thought, but held his tongue. Silence surrounded them, and Hugh sighed. It was hard to be angry with her, especially when admitted to her mistakes. He scooted closer to her and hugged her. "I'm just glad you're okay," he whispered.

Rosa froze in shock for a moment before returning his embrace. They sat like that for a long time before they both thought of something that needed to the the other. Secrets they never told each other.

They pulled back at the same time and both exclaimed, "I need to tell you something!" They blinked in shock before laughing sheepishly.

"Ladies first," Hugh chuckled.

"Okay, well," she stammered over her words. She didn't want her best friend to think she'd lost her mind. "Um, Hugh? This is kind of difficult to explain, but I'm telling the truth. It's just going to sound kinda, well, insane."

He raised an eyebrow, curious to what she was about to say.

"I can understand pokemon."

Hugh blinked a few times. "Wait, what?"

"I can understand pokemon," she repeated again. "I can understand what they say, and they understand what I say. Not like commands in battle. I mean like the way we're talking right now. I can talk to pokemon.

He still was having a hard time understand what exactly she was trying to say, but he got the summary of it. It was just, well, hard to believe. "Not saying I don't believe you," he murmured, choosing his words carefully. "But how can you do it?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. My mom always said my father had a unique bond with all pokemon, so maybe I got it from him?"

Hugh leaned back. Honestly, as crazy as it was, it made sense when he thought back. When they were looking for Herdier back at Floccesy Ranch, to the Basculin in the stream earlier today, and even when they were looking for Pichu; he had just suspected she was just naturally loved by pokemon, but now it sort of made sense in a crazy way. Plus, did he have any reason to not believe his rival?

"Alright," Hugh sighed, ready to tell his part. "My turn." He paused, not sure how to start. He'd never told anyone about this. "Back at Castelia, you knew I hadn't actually done any research on Team Plasma. You were right. I already knew all that before we even started our journey. I'd already looked into them years ago after I had a run in with them."

Rosa was surprised. She thought she and Hugh told each other almost everything (then again, she didn't tell him about her "ability"), but this was the first she'd ever heard of Hugh encountering the criminal group.

"They took Harper's Purrloin. Our grandpa gave her to Harper before he passed away a few days later. She was his only pokemon, and Team Plasma stole her from us." He clenched his fists. "And I couldn't do a damn thing about it. I was ten, but I hadn't gotten a pokemon of my own yet. Harper was only four, but she loved Purrloin, and still hopes she'll come back. That's why she didn't tell Mom when I left- I promised to find Purrloin. And I _will_ keep my promise."

The pig-tailed trainer placed her hand on his fist, hoping to comfort him. In response, he uncurled his hand and intertwined their fingers. Rosa blushed slightly at the action. Glancing up, she saw Hugh was already staring at her, which caused her face to get even warmer. With the sunset behind him, she couldn't deny that her rival was kind of cute.

Exhaustion crashed into the girl in an instant. She yawned and laid her head on Hugh's shoulder, silently hoping he didn't mind.

Instead he chuckled softly and squeezed her hand. "Tired?"

"Shut up," she murmured.

In what felt like only a few seconds, the two were at the bottom of the ride. Rosa was already asleep, so Hugh carried her bridal style through the few people left in the area, past in entrance, and to the Pokemon Center on the other side of the city. When they walked into the building, Audino was already on her night shift. Seeing Hugh come in, she pulled a key card out of the drawer and placed it in his hand, which went right back to supporting Rosa as soon as he got it. He moved to the right of the healing counter and passed through the doors that led to the rooms the center offered all trainers.

He waved the card in front of their door, and quickly threw it open. The room looked like any normal hotel room they'd been to, but, luckily, there were two beds instead of one. Plus, Rosa's stuff from Castelia City's hotel was already here, thanks to Curtis sending it over.

Hugh pulled the sheets back on the bed closest to the window and laid Rosa down. Pulling the sheets back over her, he bent down he kissed her head softly. She was already asleep, right? She wouldn't know he did it.

Not even bothering to change his own clothes, Hugh collapsed onto the other bed. In less than a minute, he was dead asleep.

* * *

 **I hoped y'all enjoyed this (very, very, very late) chapter! Now, as promised, time to update everyone on a few things!**

 **1) I will be changing my username _AGAIN!_ I know this is the third time, but the reason for this is because a few people I know in my personal life have been trying to find my writing, but I really want to keep it all anonymous to all except a few friends. **

**2) I'm going to try my best to upload a new chapter every two weeks, give or take! I'm about to get really busy soon, so two weeks is a good amount of time for me to get an outline, write, and revise the chapter. So hope for biweekly chapters!**

 **3) I remember the major parts of this story thanks to my outlines, but the games Black2 and White2 are kind of a blur to me, so I have to play the games again some to get it back in my memory. Hopefully this doesn't push some chapters back and make them late, but I figured I should tell y'all just in case.**

 **Okay, I think that's all! Again, I'm sooooooo sorry for the late chapter! Please review! I love hearing from my readers!**


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